About Noah
by SuperNatural SheWolf
Summary: Hated by his mother and abandoned by his father, Noah Albright struggles to find his place in the pack. With his F.A.E  as well as his traumatic past, will he ever be able to believe he is worth it and accept that he had finally found a place to belong?
1. Ch 1 Not Alone

I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.

This is a collaborative project by **SheWolf13** and **SuperNatural1985**. The story is based on what we have read about Noah, in _Frostbitten_ and _Hidden_, and is a second attempt at the original story _**About Noah**_ originally published on SuperNatural1985's profile.

Ch 1 Not Alone

I sat on the hotel bed nervous. I don't know how many times I have been in this position before of wondering where I would go. Who would I live with? Who would want me? Now that I had met the pack would they abandon me to my parole? I didn't really have any objections about going back to finish my parole. I had done the crime so I would do the time, but what about after? I had no one. My father had run off scared shitless of the pack and my mom didn't want me around. I didn't want to be around her anyway. I had dodged enough flying projectiles and hitting hands to know I could not go back there. What was I supposed to do?

"Noah," I heard breaking through my thoughts. I looked up to see Nick and Antonio had come into the room. Nick was nice and so was his dad Antonio. At least what I knew of them was nice so far. They also had another guy living with them, Reese. I had first heard about Reese when Travis and Eddie had come home and told me the story about them cutting off some mutt's fingers. I hadn't known he had found his way to the pack yet, though. "Noah, you there," Nick asked waving a hand in front of my face. I smiled embarrassed and nodded.

"Yeah, sorry just thinking," I said. I didn't meet Nick's gaze at first. The pack wolves made me nervous. I felt I was just an obligation to them right now so why would they welcome me? Why would they want me around? I knew I had to be careful about getting my hopes up with them. Going with them would be ideal but why would they want me to?

"No worries," Nick laughed. He walked in front of me and then sat across from me on the other hotel bed. I saw Antonio move to come and sit beside Nick but Nick seemed to be the one doing the talking. I looked into Nick's brown eyes now. He grinned when he caught my gaze. I gave a tentative smile back waiting for him to say something.

"So, I was thinking," he began. He seemed nervous. He cast a glance at Antonio who looked at him encouragingly and nodded for him to go on. "Well, the thing is Noah...," he said. Oh, here it comes. The 'we need to leave so you're on your own' or 'you're not good enough for this pack, you're just a mutt' speech. I bit my lip and looked away afraid. I had given my hopes away. Worst of all could be the 'you're a bad kid Noah, you're rotten and you'll never change.' These thoughts were nothing new to me. These words I had heard over and over again before. They wouldn't want me. Anger flared inside for a few moments as I thought about this. Would I ever be good enough for anyone? "You can't stay in Alaska," he said. I looked up surprised now. What?

"Um, what do you mean?" I asked looking from Antonio to Nick but Tonio said nothing letting Nick take the lead. Did that mean that not only was I not going with them but I had to leave my home too? I knew that mutts couldn't hold territory and maybe this is what they meant.

"I mean we can't let you go back to do your parole and we can't...we're not comfortable with letting you go out on your own. You need help with being a werewolf, with the changes and the lifestyle and I want to help you," he said. I looked at him astonished. This guy, this over six foot tall, handsome millionaire wanted to help me, the scrawny kid with a criminal record, F.A.E and a host of other problems. "So what do you say?" he asked now. He was studying me trying to gauge my reaction.

I dropped my gaze to my hands and thought about what this meant, "How..?" I murmured without looking up at them. Silence was my answer for the first few moments and I stiffened worrying I had offended them or said something stupid.

"Sorry?" Nick asked. I took a deep breath and then looked up at them licking my lips and trying to order my thoughts.

"How will you...I mean, how do you want to help me?" I asked now. He nodded when he understood the question and grinned again. Both Sorrentinos seemed to have an endless supply of smiles. It kind of made a person feel a bit better in some ways.

"Oh, well, we first want to offer you to come and live with us. Reese already does and is thinking of staying and we have plenty of room and lots of woods to roam in. We also have a training room so you could train and you could finish out your degree there. You could go to the same high school dad and I went to," he said. I looked from one to the other. Were they for real? They wanted me to live with them? Why? "Second of all, we want to offer to train you and help you figure out your life, werewolf and human. Get you back on the right track and all," Nick offered. I nodded. Oh.

"You know I have problems, right?" I asked. Nick nodded and I noticed Antonio giving him a look before he turned to me.

"Noah, you don't have problems. You have some issues to work through but we can help you do that. We're more than willing and we are capable and we want to be there for you," Antonio told me. I looked from one to the other now and clenched my hands.

"Yeah ok, but the F.A.E, have you ever dealt with that before? Do you know how difficult it makes everything? What about my record? Aren't you afraid I'll steal from you or something or...I don't know?" I broke off looking away embarrassed now.

"No, I'm not worried at all. You're not a bad kid, Noah. You got messed up in some stuff and you learned your lesson. As for the F.A.E, we don't know much about it but we're willing to learn so we can help you," Nick said now.

One big question remained now, why? Why did they want to go to the trouble of helping me? My family had betrayed them and I hadn't been much better. What did Travis call me? A thug, I was a kid thug and I didn't do anyone any good. "Why?" I asked voicing my thoughts now. Nick looked over at his dad who nodded at him again but said nothing.

"Noah, you need someone and we want to help. We feel like you belong with the pack and you'd be much happier with us than at Jeremy's. Jeremy is a great guy and all but you won't be able to do a lot of teenage things while you're there," Nick stated and I nodded. Belonged, he said I belonged with them. I felt like I had waited a lifetime just to belong. Would the pack be the place I would finally achieve this?

"I think it might be what...what Dennis would have wanted," Antonio said quietly when no one spoke. My gut clenched. Dennis. I missed Dennis so much. I pictured myself standing over his frozen grave near the cabin now. We had gone back there so I could say goodbye. I hadn't known what to say, I just kept repeating 'I'm sorry' over and over again. I was sorry for leading the thugs right to him. I didn't know they would kill him. I was hoping we could all help one another but I had gotten him killed in the process. His death hung over me like a funeral shroud.

Sadly I looked at them and nodded. Ok, I would go with them. What other choice did I have anyway? "Ok, I'll live with you guys," I said. Nick's grin lit up his face then like a Christmas tree. Who knew I could make the guy so happy by just accepting his offer? Wait, he was happy because I was going to live with them? Why? Didn't he know how difficult I would probably make his life? I wasn't the easiest kid to help sometimes.

"That's great, Noah. I'm really excited about this. You're going to fit right in with us and the pack," Nick said. I nodded and smiled slightly. I wasn't sure if he was right but he could think that if he wanted too.

"Ok, so next item on the agenda. If you're going to live with us we need to go over the house rules," Nick began. I looked away at this one. I hated the house rules speech because it always felt as if they were accusing me of doing bad things right off when I hadn't even been given the chance to prove myself yet. Would living with the Sorrentinos be the same thing? "Noah, did I lose you again?" Nick chuckled. I looked up immediately.

"No, sorry," I said and looked him in the eyes giving him my full attention, but only for a few seconds not wanting to give the impression that I was challenging him.

"Don't worry about it. You need to quit apologizing for everything in fact we'll make it a house rule. No apologizing for every single little thing you do," he grinned. I smiled and laughed a bit at this. Nick seemed to be a really cool guy. "Ok, so the real rules, of course are no lying, disobeying, disrespecting or fighting in our home. Also, it won't surprise you to know we won't stand for stealing or vandalising or any gang or criminal activity. We won't, Noah," he said seriously. I nodded to this. I understood and I didn't plan on doing anything wrong.

"We live pretty simply without a lot of rules except for the basic ones and stuff like helping with chores and pulling your weight, not that you weigh very much," he chuckled. I shrugged but said nothing. I knew I was scrawny, skinny I guessed. I was only 5'6 and 130 pounds. I was small for my age and people often thought I was a year or two younger. That had to do with the F.A.E. I had always been small and probably always would be. "Oh, and one more thing no coveting my girlfriends," he laughed. I looked up at him now giving him a look.

"Nicholas," Antonio scolded lightly. Nick looked at his father and shook his head. I looked back and forth between both of them now. Ok. Everything they said was fine with me. I would follow the rules to the best of my ability and try and do everything the pack wanted. I knew I would need to be careful, though. What if one wrong move proved to them I wasn't worth it? I had grown accustomed to the thought that I wasn't worth much. I had only started to change my view when Dennis came into the picture. Now he was dead and I wasn't so sure if what he told me had been true. He had constantly reassured me but I wasn't sure if it was enough.

* * *

><p>"Nick," I yelled and tossed the football his way. He winked at me and caught it before tossing it to Reese who tossed it back my way. We had just pulled a surround manoeuvre on Hope, Karl, another pack member's girlfriend, and we were racing down the field trying to get the goal. The Alaskan wilderness spread out before us and the snow crunched under our feet as we ran, tackled and leapt trying to keep the ball.<p>

"You snooze you lose," Clay suddenly called and grabbed the ball from the air as I tossed it to Nick again. He danced back on the snow and grinned, turned and tossed the ball to Kate one of Clay and Elena's twins. The twins were really cute, Logan was the other one and they were only 3 I think, maybe 4 but they were adorable anyway.

"What do we do?" Reese suddenly asked. Nick waved us closer and then put a hand on each of our shoulders so we could from a plan. Nick was a really cool guy. I began to like him a lot more now that I knew I was moving in with him. I got the sense he was the one who would be taking charge of us. Antonio was always there but he seemed to hang back a lot. "Ready?" Nick asked as we formed our plan. We both nodded and I took off going after Kate who had the ball now. One look at Clay, though, told me this was not such a wise idea. I backed off immediately. Nick was about to tackle Clay when Logan shouted from across the field.

"Kate," he called. She immediately turned and threw the ball to him. He grinned and started running the other way. Devious little kids. Kate howled and tore after him. I smiled and looked towards where Elena was sitting. Jeremy had taken a time out and gone to sit beside her. Jeremy was not what I had expected in an Alpha. He was kinder than I thought he would be and much more soft spoken but no less authoritative. When he spoke, I felt compelled to listen. When I first met him he asked about my changes before introducing himself and then offered his condolences setting his hand on my shoulder. Nick told me that this was a rare gesture of affection for him and it meant he liked me. I wasn't so sure. What if I was just an obligation to him? Keep the trouble maker out of trouble basically? I would find out I guessed.

"Get your head out of the clouds," Reese suddenly called. As I turned towards him I was tackled to the ground. I caught Nick's scent immediately and turned my head to see him grinning down at me.

"Sorry, just making sure you were awake," he said. I smiled and waited for him to get up accepting his helping hand. He easily hauled me to my feet and patted my arm. Yeah, Nick was cool and fun. I think I might like living with him. I just hoped he would still like and want me around once we got to know one another.

* * *

><p>The next day found us in Vancouver. We were staying here for a day before catching a plane home. Jeremy was getting nervous about having us stay in Alaska any longer seeing as how they were literally kidnapping me from state custody. I was still a minor with no legal guardian technically.<p>

I was standing at the window with my arms crossed looking out over the Pacific Ocean and watching all the boats in the harbour when I heard the door open. I turned to look and saw Nick, again followed by Antonio. Antonio never said much when Nick and I spoke but he was always there. I wondered why.

"Hey, Noah, can we talk?" Nick asked. I nodded and turned to see Nick sitting on the bed. Antonio was busying himself in the background starting to pack some clothes and things. I stared at him for a minute before nodding.

"Sure, Nick," I said but I didn't move from my place. Nick took a moment to gather his thoughts but finally spoke.

"I wanted to ask you about something. We were thinking when we make your for you it might be a good idea to say you're 16 and not 17. What do you think?" he asked. I looked at him oddly now. Why would he want that? I was about to ask but he saw the quizzical look on my face and answered my unspoken question first, "We just think with you being in grade 11 right now and looking a bit younger than 17 it might be better and it would help us hide you as well," he said. I knew what he was getting at. With my F.A.E I looked younger and I wasn't very good at school because I got frustrated easily. I knew I was behind in my grades and life as well, or that's what it felt like at least.

"Ok, I guess," I shrugged. I supposed in the end it wasn't such a big deal honestly. I was in a lower grade anyway and I knew I looked more like a 15 year old than a 17 year old. Maybe this would be a bit of a help.

"Also, we were thinking about using the name Sorrentino on them as well and dropping Stillwell or Albright, just for a while, so that again hiding you would be easier. The paper trail will be easier to create this way and when I take full custody it will help if you have the family name," he informed me. He was taking custody of me? "We don't have any custody rights so this would be easier."

"So, I'll be a Sorrentino and you'll be my legal guardian?" I asked and he nodded. Was it just me or did he look hopeful? Did he want me to be his ward or whatever? He did look hopeful but he also looked unsure. Was he unsure about me or the position he was taking on? I knew he had no kids so this was new for him too. I hesitated to say I was ok with it, though. What did Antonio think? Did he even want me around? "Is it ok with Antonio?" I asked quietly hoping he wouldn't hear. Immediately he looked up though and grinned.

"Of course it's alright with me, you'll be my honorary nephew," he grinned. This made me smile as well. They seemed to want me around and that made me feel good. I felt like maybe I could belong but I also felt like I needed to tread carefully just in case.

"Yeah, that would be ok then," I answered. Nick grinned now and nodded accepting my acceptance of his offer. I knew I was in some serious trouble when I had taken them to Joseph's condo yesterday and we had found it abandoned. Only a few of his things were left and it hurt like hell. He left me without even caring what happened to me but now maybe the Sorrentinos could make up for some of it.

"Good, I'm glad you're so accepting of all of this. One more thing, though Noah, before we go I need you to call your mom and tell her...well, tell her you took off with Joseph. Wrap everything up in a neat package so she doesn't come looking for you or anything," Nick said. I frowned. She would never come looking for me. She hated me. Well she didn't like me much right now and I wasn't very fond of her but maybe they did not understand our non relationship.

"She won't, Nick. She'll be glad I'm...," I started to say but I didn't finish. I was angry at her for what she had done to me. She had chosen that asshole over me and it made me so angry and made me feel so stupid and inadequate. I don't know if I hated her but I was close to that emotion.

"I know, Noah, but it's just a precaution. We need to make sure the pack is protected and this is the best way to do it," he told me. I nodded as dread built up in my stomach. I did not want to speak to her. I would prefer to just forget about her forever but it seemed she was still haunting me.

"Ok," I answered with a sinking heart. Nick gestured to the phone. Oh, he wanted me to do it now. Wow. Ok, I guess I could. I walked to it and turned my back on Antonio and Nick. I dialled the number. I knew it by heart, unfortunately.

It rang three times before someone picked up. "David's residence, Simon speaking," my stepfather said in a nauseatingly cheerful voice. I hesitated for a second, my palms sweating and at a loss of what to say to him.

"Ah, Simon, hi...this is Noah," I said. I heard silence for a few seconds, and I felt myself tense, before the real Simon, the one I grew to hate, answered.

"What do you want?" he snapped. I tensed again remembering living with this man. God, I hated him. To everyone else he was the perfect Christian father and husband. To me he was a home wrecker and an evil lying bastard. He drove me to spend most of the time I was living with him in my room until they dumped me into foster care. Did I mention how much I hated him?

"I just want to talk to mom," I said quickly. He sighed as if I was putting him out before answering. I gripped the phone in my sweaty hand remembering in time to stop putting pressure on it so I would not snap it in half.

"You broke parole, Noah, can't you do anything right, you little shit?" he growled. I closed my eyes fighting back the anger, the tears and the frustration. Suddenly I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. I looked back to see Antonio reach for the receiver and cover it.

"Just tell him you want to speak to your mom again and take a break if you need to," he said. He then looked back at Nick who nodded. It almost seemed as if he was giving Nick lessons and pointers. I nodded now and he uncovered the receiver so I could go back to this dreaded task.

"I just want to speak to mom, Simon," I said in a bit more forceful voice. He sighed again and I heard the phone clang down now. I heard voices in the background, a small argument? And then mom came on.

"Noah Albright, I can't believe you. Go back to your parole officer right now, young man. Do you know how inconvenient the police showing up to search our home for you is?" she said sounding exasperated. My heart sunk now. I should not have expected anything less from her. She only cared about herself and I was just an inconvenience. It had been this way all my life. The only reason she kept me from Joseph was to get back at him. Would I even have been born if she did not hold so many grudges?

"I know and I'm sorry. I just called to tell you that Joseph and I are travelling around for a while. I don't know where, maybe Europe or somewhere but I'm happy mom, ok? I'm happy with what I'm doing and where I am so don't come looking for me, please," I told her. She went silent for a moment and for a second I thought she might have hung up before I even got my message out but a sharp intake of breath told me she was still there.

"I wouldn't anyway, Noah, now I just have something to tell the police," she said calmly. I nodded then. The deed was done. In the future I might send Christmas cards or something like that to make sure she knew I was still happy since I did not want her to look for me but this would be the extent of our relationship until I was an adult. Then she would get nothing from me.

"Good bye," I said quickly. I hung up the receiver before she could say anything more and sat there for a moment staring at the desk top.

"Are you ok?" I heard behind me. I took a deep breath and turned to face Nick. I nodded now looking at the floor and crossing my arms. I looked back up in time to see Nick looking at Antonio who was giving him a back off gesture. I got up and walked to the window again watching the boats and the ocean. I sincerely hoped the pack would like me and I could belong there. I was terrified, though, that they would see me for me soon enough and see that I was not worth it. The question is was I even worth it?


	2. Ch 2 Welcome Home

I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.

This is a collaborative project by **SheWolf13** and **SuperNatural1985**. The story is based on what we have read about Noah, in _Frostbitten_ and _Hidden_, and is a second attempt at the original story _**About Noah**_ originally published on SuperNatural1985's profile.

Ch 2 Welcome Home

As we made our way to the airport I couldn't help but feel nervous, anxious even. I was about to go live with the Pack and although I was nervous about this, it pales in comparison to the fact that I was about to get on a plane for the first time in my life. Butterflies fluttered around in my stomach at the thought of being lifted up in the air and flying thousands of feet off the ground. This was not going to be a pleasant journey.

"Noah?" I heard Nick call from the front seat. I looked up to see him smiling at me again, but it faltered at seeing my face. "Are you alright, kid?" he asked concerning clouding his brown eyes. He was a great guy; he really seemed to care about what happened to me. I shook my head. I didn't want them to think I was a coward. It wasn't a trait werewolves should have and I hadn't really sent out the right message since I had been Travis and Eddie's hostage because they had used my cowardice against me.

"Noah, do you remember the house rules?" Nick asked his tone turning serious along with his expression. Damn. I had barely spent more than a few days with the Pack and I was already screwing up.

"Yes, I remember," I said averting my gaze from Nick's eyes. "No lying, no disobeying, no disrespecting and no fighting."

"Even though we're not at home yet, it doesn't mean the rules don't apply here, as well, ok, kiddo?" His voice had grown softer by the end of it at seeing my expression. Why was I such a screw up? I couldn't even obey simple house rules! "Noah?" Nick said again, and I looked up to see that he was concerned. Why? What'd I do? "Noah, tell me what's wrong," he said kindly, but I interpreted it as an order. We were werewolves after all.

"I just…I've, uh, I've never been on a…um, plane before," I finished lamely. God, how stupid did I sound? Nick gazed at me with an odd look before his face broke into a smile.

"It's alright, Noah," he said, "You can sit next to me on the plane. Ok?" he asked looking as uncertain as I felt. I knew he just wanted to make me feel better, but it didn't really work. If he sat next to me I was more likely to get scared when the plane took off, with the added pressure of being watched by my future legal guardian. I looked away and nodded as Nick chanced a look at Antonio who was driving. They shared a moment of silent communication until the stoplight turned green and Antonio put his attention back on the road and Nick turned around to look at the front.

I looked over at Reese who had been silent for most of the trip to the airport. He was staring out the window completely lost in his own thoughts. I didn't know much about him, only that he was from Australia and had emigrated here about a year ago. As far as I knew, nobody in the Pack knew why he'd left his home.

I turned to look out my own window. I was very nervous and I had to calm myself down before the other werewolves started to smell my fear and anxiety. It couldn't be that bad now, could it? I mean, people flew on planes all the time. I spent the rest of the trip convincing myself that planes were benign but only achieved the exact opposite.

By the time we got to the airport, I could smell my own fear and I knew everyone else could too. Nick took me and Reese to grab a drink before the plane left. As he passed me a bottle of water, he slid me two pills across the table. I looked up at him and gave him a 'what the hell?' look. He shook his head and said, "They're sleeping pills. If at any moment you feel like you won't be able to handle the flight, take them and sleep the rest of the way." Oh. He just wanted me out of the way; he wanted me to take the pills so I wouldn't bother him. I knew it wouldn't last; they were going to figure out very soon that I wasn't worth it and they would give me something much stronger than sleeping pills.

I nodded to Nick and looked away miserable. Would the Pack kill me if I became a nuisance? Perhaps not, but would they send me back to Alaska? Yes, I believe they would. They would send me back to my mother, who would send me back to my parole officer and I'd be in deep shit for taking off. I didn't want to go back, there was nothing left for me back there. Joey had taken off and Dennis… Dennis was gone, and it was all my fault. I wasn't going to give them any reasons for them to get rid of me, or try not to at least. I took the pills off the table and slid them into my pocket, with no intention of taking them.

We made our way towards the waiting area, passing through security and the metal detectors without any problems. I sat down next Antonio as we waited to board our plane which would be in a few minutes. I stared at the floor while we waited, and the tension within me grew, and the pills were starting to look like a really good idea, but I wouldn't take them. I couldn't. If I did they would know I was weak and then they would figure out that I wasn't worth the trouble. I was never worth it. My mother had made sure I understood that and then my stepfather had only solidified the lesson.

Antonio shifted slightly towards me as the fear of being sent back home grew, but he didn't say anything. Nick's shoes appeared seconds later on the floor I was staring at. He knelt down and I heard him say, "Look at me, Noah." I looked up reluctantly and only met his gaze for a few seconds. "Noah, take the pills," he said softly but it was still an order.

"I'm fine, Nick," I said hoping the words sounded convincing though they'd sounded hollow to me. I new I was disobeying him but I would not look weak before the Pack, I wouldn't. Nick, however, did not look happy about this and was about to say something when Clay interrupted from behind me.

"Don't be stupid, Noah, just take the pills." I clenched my fists as angered flared through me. I was not stupid! But I didn't dare say it. Clay was renowned in the supernatural world for his terrible deeds and I did not want to become his next one.

"Fuck off, Clay," I heard Nick growl. I chanced a glace at Nick and saw that he was glaring at Clay, anger in his eyes. I quickly looked away before he saw me watching. The anger still flared through me but it was dying down. For some reason Nick was defending me. Why?

"Nick," I heard Antonio say beside me. I looked up at him and saw that he was giving Nick a look before nodding slightly towards me.

"Noah," I heard Nick say and I shifted my gaze to his face but didn't meet his eyes. "Take the pills, kid," he said softly and shot a glance at his father, then added, "We don't want to make this trip uncomfortable for you. Trust me, if there was anything else we could do to make you feel better then we would do it. But right now those pills are your best bet. We just want what's best for you, Noah." So they were doing this for me, not to get me out of the way? Oh. I hadn't been on the receiving end of thoughtfulness or caring in my life so I hadn't recognized the action as what it was but rather what I was used to. I had thought the worse when they had already proven they wanted to help me. Would I ever stop thinking the worst of people? I don't know, but maybe with the Pack I could learn to trust people again.

I nodded to Nick and took the pills out of my pocket and swallowed them with water that was left in my bottle, just as the speaker announced that out plane was boarding. Nick smiled at me and as he got up I said, "Thank you." He stared at me for a moment and then nodded, probably not understanding why I was saying thank you; I could be difficult to figure out sometimes.

We made our way to they boarding alley and starting passing through, one by one, the twins clinging to their parents. Nick was standing right behind me as I reached the desk and handed in my papers and flight ticket in case there were any problems. There weren't.

The butterflies were still flying around in my stomach, but before I knew it I was sitting down beside Nick in first class seats. The pills were already starting to take effect and drowsiness filled me. I tried to keep my eyes open, the wolf in me on alert for danger being in an unknown place, but I was asleep before the last passenger boarded.

"Noah. Noah, wake up," I heard as if from far, far away, but I ignored it. I was way too comfortable to bother moving. I heard a soft growl of frustration and my eyes flew open to see Nick looking down at me. He smiled down at me and said, "About time. I've been trying to wake you since we landed." I looked around, my foggy brain still waking up, and saw that almost everyone had gotten off the plane.

I nodded at Nick and quickly got up only to stumble back in my seat, my legs a bit weak from the flight. Nick chuckled and leaned over to help me up. He held me up for a few moments and, when he was sure I wouldn't be falling down any time soon, he let me go. I followed him off the plane, stumbling every now and then but I didn't fall down. We were alone, the others having left Nick on wake up duty.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked falling into step beside me. We made our way down an almost empty hall which I guess led to the exit, since we'd bypassed the luggage area. I nodded, my brain struggling with the effort to put my legs in motion.

"I didn't even notice we were in the air," I said feeling a slight fluffiness in my mouth that made talking a bit uncomfortable. I guess it was the side effects from the sleeping pills. We finally came to the end of the hall and through a pair of doors and found Antonio and Reese waiting for us, with the others nowhere in sight.

Reese smiled as we reached them and said, "You're a deep sleeper, mate. If you slept any deeper you wouldn't have woken even if the plane crashed." I just nodded; sleep was still pulling at me. Maybe I should have only taken one pill. Antonio slid a smile my way as well as we made our way towards the exit, overnight bags in our hands. Just outside the doors were Elena, Clayton, Jeremy, Jaime and the twins.

"We're taking off, the kids are getting restless," Elena said as Kate asked her when they were leaving because she wanted to get home and show her something that Jaime had got her. "We'll see you guys next week, ok?" We said our goodbyes and headed towards the left hand side of the parking lot, until we reached a shinning silver BMW.

"Wow," I said, my brain finally waking up after seeing an extremely expensive car right before my eyes. I heard Nick laugh as he appeared at my side opening one of the back doors for me.

"Wait till you see mine," he said with a cheeky grin on his face. I smiled at him as I climbed into the luxurious car. Reese climbed in next to me and we buckled ourselves in, as Antonio started the car and we made our way to Sorrentino Estate.

Everyone was quiet for most of the journey, not having anything to say, until my growling stomach alerted Nick and he said, "So, what do you guys want for dinner? I have Chinese on speed dial."

"Sure," said Reese and I nodded my agreement. I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and right now I could eat just about anything. I had never eaten Chinese but if Nick had it on speed dial I guess it couldn't be that bad.

Suddenly a thought entered my mind as I heard Nick order an assortment of food. How was I supposed to pay for it? I didn't have any money. Nick had said that I had to help out with chores and stuff but he hadn't said anything about paying them. Would they throw me out once they figured out I didn't have any money? A part of me wanted to believe they wouldn't, but life had taught me that if someone gave you something, anything, you had to pay the price. I felt the fear I'd felt before boarding the plane rising again. Even if they did kick me out, I was not going back home, but would I have a choice? Would they make me go back?

"Noah?" I heard Nick call from the front seat. I looked at him, trying to keep he fear off my face and praying that he couldn't smell it, but he just smiled at me. "Welcome home." I looked past him and saw an enormous red brick renaissance mansion. I gaped at it, temporarily forgetting my fear. The façade had large windows, but I couldn't see anything since the lights were off. The front porch was massive and just above it there was a circular balcony, jutting out slightly.

I stopped gaping the moment Antonio drove the car into the garage and the fear returned. We got out of the car and I followed the others towards the door in the far corner, keeping my distance so they wouldn't smell the fear. What was I going to do? I was so screwed. Antonio punched in a key code and we walked through the door, everyone taking their shoes off and putting them in a closet beside it. I followed suit not wanting to upset my hosts, or legal guardians, or whatever they were. A little voice said that they were my Pack brothers, but I ignored it. I wasn't in the Pack, was I?

"Noah, come help me set the table," I heard Nick call, interrupting my thoughts. I looked up to see him by a door down the hall grinning. Of course he was grinning. I tried to grin back so he wouldn't notice my nervousness and went towards him. As I reached him, he studied me for a moment, the grin growing faint and then his nostrils flared. Damn. He didn't say anything, however, just held the door open for me and I walked in. Dammit! He'd smelled the fear.

"Noah, look at me," I heard behind me. I turned and almost stumbled back since Nick was only inches away from me. I hadn't even heard him. I quickly regained my composure and looked him in the eyes for a few moments then looked away. "We're not going to hurt you, Noah." I looked up at him confused. Why would he say that?

"I know you're not, at least, not unless I do something, then Clay will…," I said and chanced a glance at Nick's face. He was furious. Shit. What did I say?

"We are not going to hurt you, Noah, not now and not ever," he said softly, but I could still sense some anger in his voice. "Noah, look at me," he said and I felt his hand grab me by the chin lightly and lift it so I was looking him in the eyes with no chance of averting my gaze. "We will never hurt you even if you did do something bad. We would try to help you. If whatever you did was really bad we would punish you by grounding you and such, but we will never lay a hand on you," he said looking me straight in the eyes making sure I understood.

I tried to nod but he still had my chin so I said, "I understand, Nick. I'm sorry to have angered you." I wasn't sure if I believed him though. Maybe they wouldn't hurt but what about Clay? Nick and Antonio seemed like good men, but Clay…

"I'm not angry with you, kid," Nick said letting go of my chin looking a bit frustrated. "I'm angry with myself. I totally overlooked everything you had been through and Clay's reputation isn't exactly a good one. I'm sorry if we scared you."

I shook my head at him; I may as well be honest. Clay wasn't around and if he was telling the truth, they wouldn't punish me for this. "I wasn't afraid of you guys. I was…well, it's just that I, um, I don't have any money to pay for the food," I ended quickly, stumbling over the words and I wasn't sure if Nick had understood. He looked at me confused again and I was about to repeat myself when his face broke into a smile and I felt myself relax. The Sorrentino smile seemed to have that effect on people.

"Noah, I'm going to be your legal guardian. I will be taking care of you, as will Antonio. You don't have to worry about anything, kid. Just leave everything to us, okay?" I nodded, but I was a bit confused. I was so used to giving back for everything that was given to me. This felt so awkward and new to me, but it made me feel…happy. Yes, it made me feel happy. For some obscure reason these people wanted to take care of me and thought I belonged here, or that's what Nick had said yesterday. I smiled up at him once I thought this and his grin grew even more, if that was even possible.

We heard the doorbell ring at that moment and I hurried to help set the table. By the time Reese and Antonio walked in with the food we had just finished setting it and Nick sent me a thumbs up along with one of his trademark smiles. Antonio sat at the head of the table, with Nick to his right and Reese to his left. When Nick saw that I hesitated before sitting down he nodded towards the empty seat beside Reese. I sent him a thank you smile and he sent one back. If I hadn't already seen him serious, I would have thought that the smile was permanently stuck to his face.

We ate in relative silence, since we were all fully concentrated on the difficult task at hand. When we had all had our fair share of food, I helped Reese pick up the table and wash the dishes. I was putting the things away and couldn't help but think about what Nick had said and the happiness started to disappear. He had said all that and he probably meant it but he didn't know. Once he did he would be regretting everything he had said and he'd send me back home 'You're not worth it'. The words repeated themselves inside my head until I heard Reese chuckle and say, "Cheer up, mate. This ain't the slaughter house."

I just nodded and said, "I'm just tired. I think I'm going to bed." I wasn't lying really. The pills were still affecting me, must've been some powerful stuff. Then I remembered that they had to be because of our heightened metabolism but maybe mine wasn't very strong yet. I heard the door open behind me and Nick strode in.

"Hey, Noah, want to go see your new room?" he said beaming.

"Sure," I said putting away the last of the cutlery. I followed him out the kitchen and into the hallway. Nick then proceeded to give me a tour of the mansion. He showed me Antonio's and his office, but somehow I couldn't really picture Nick sitting down at the desk and working. He walked me through the foyer, a few living rooms and the showed me the games room down in the basement. I'm pretty sure my mouth was hanging open half the time, but I couldn't help it. The house was amazing and very, very big. Then we made our way upstairs and I saw enough rooms for the entire Royal Family.

Nick led to one of the rooms half way down the hallway and held the door open for me, letting me go in first. Wow. It was huge and had a very classic style to it but I didn't care. It was my room. Back home my room had been my haven whenever I needed to get away from my mother or stepfather and then, when I was in juvie, I hadn't exactly had much privacy.

"Do you like it?" Nick asked sounding a little nervous. I looked over at him and saw that he did indeed look nervous. "We'll be getting you things so you can make it more personal, even paint it if you want—"

"I love it," I said interrupting him and shooting a grin his way. He hesitated a moment and then smiled back. He was a great guy and I felt guilty for thinking badly of him. I looked back at the room and said, "I love the color, too. It's my favorite." The room was painted a light blue and it wasn't technically my favorite, but all blues were.

Nick then handed me some pajamas and said, still grinning, "Glad to hear it, but you should get some rest now. We have a long day tomorrow."

"Why? What are we doing?" I asked, not sure if I wanted to know, all fears resurrecting but I pushed them back. Nick was a good person, I knew that now. I just had to remember it in the future.

Nick, however, just kept beaming and said, "You'll see." He made his way towards the door and said good night with a smile still painted on his face. Once I was left alone, I put the pajamas on and crawled into bed. I wasn't sure if I was really tired or if was just the pills still at work. I didn't matter though. Within minutes I was asleep.


	3. Ch 3 Uneasy

I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.

This is a collaborative project by **SheWolf13** and **SuperNatural1985**. The story is based on what we have read about Noah, in _Frostbitten_ and _Hidden_, and is a second attempt at the original story _**About Noah**_ originally published on SuperNatural1985's profile.

Ch 3 Uneasy

I awoke in a cold sweat looking around the room. Where was I? Oh, right. I was with the Sorrentinos now. I lay back down and stared at the dark ceiling trying to remember what my dream was about. I always had hazy dreams. They weren't really nightmares but something in them scared me every time. I assumed they were about Dennis or something but I didn't want to go there right now.

I lay there for a while longer with sleep evading me before I gave up. I glanced at the bedside clock seeing it was 4am. Just great. I would be really tired for whatever Nick had planned for today. As quietly as I could I swung my legs from bed and used my washroom. I had never had my own washroom before but it was nice to have so much privacy. At my mom's I had to share a bathroom with her and the asshole and at juvie I had to share with a dozen other boys. It was one reason why I would try my hardest to convince Nick that I belonged here and to not bother him so he wouldn't send me back. At least not right away. I wasn't actually sure if I belonged yet but I didn't want to go home so I would try my hardest to make them see I wasn't weak and I was worth it. Or make it seem like I was.

After I was done in my washroom I looked around for something to do but I had left almost all my stuff in Alaska so I was at a loss for what I should do. After a brief hesitation, I opened my bedroom door and looked out. Everything was quiet. I was sure I could wander around the mansion if I was quiet. As silently as I could I snuck past Nick and Reese's rooms. They told me Reese was going to be staying in the guest house soon but for now he was here. I made it to the bottom floor without making noise and proceeded to look around.

As I walked I thought about ways I could make the pack believe I should stay here and that I was worth it, at least a little bit. I didn't have any concrete ideas, though. I walked down the hallway I glanced at the pictures hanging there scanning them. Some were very old looking as if they belonged from the 1800s and they seemed to go all the way up to modern day. I traced the lineage throughout the years and finally I started to see some people I recognized. A very young Antonio with who I assumed was a little Nick, a young Jeremy with Clay and another man who looked like a Sorrentino but was as huge as Travis had been. I wondered who he was.

Suddenly I stopped in my tracks and stared, not believing my eyes. Joseph and Dennis? I came closer and squinted at the photo. Dennis was young and Joseph looked to be about 10 or so. They looked really happy, especially Dennis. I fingered the photo and looked at some nearby ones. All pack photos by the look of it. Snapshots of how they pack had grown in numbers and age over the years. I looked at every one seeing Dennis and Joseph grow older along with the pack members I knew so far. Finally I got to the one of the last ones of them. Dennis stood with his arm around a grown up Joseph. He must have been a bit older than me. They both smiled and looked like I had never seen them look before. I suddenly wished I had known them like this. I fingered this photo as well and pushed against the glass. It must not have been anchored as well as the others because it suddenly went sideways and fell shattering and making a huge breaking glass noise through out the house. "Shit," I swore. Immediately, I got down on my knees and started to pick up the broken glass with my fingers. Maybe they didn't hear, maybe they didn't hear is what I kept chanting in my head.

"What the hell?" I suddenly heard as a huge roar. The light flicked on and I saw Antonio first looking furious and ready for a fight. I gazed up at him with my heart thudding. He came down the hallway still looking angry. I cringed away from him and from the fire in his eyes. I knew it. I knew I would screw up, now came the 'you're going back to Alaska, Noah' or 'why did I even let Nick bring you here?' As I looked at him fearful I saw his look soften a bit. He reached down and took my arm hauling me to my feet.

"Go," he ordered. I looked at him for a few moments and then took off down the hallway. Reese and Nick both stood at the end of the hallway. I avoided Nick's eyes.

"Noah," Nick said. I know he only said my name but what I heard was 'not good enough' I started to go past him without answering or looking up but he caught my arm. "Noah," he said again in a harder tone. I didn't look up yet preferring to look at the floor and avoid him. Not good enough, I'm just not good enough for them.

"Look at me," Nick demanded. Slowly, I raised my head and looked into his gaze. Was he angry, frustrated or regretful? What I saw surprised me. Concern? He was concerned for me? "Are you ok?" he asked. Slowly, I nodded awkwardly. Why was Antonio so angry and Nick not even fazed? "Verbal," he demanded.

"I...I'm fine," I stammered. I wasn't. I was shaken and scared out of my mind that I had messed up so badly I would be sent home. Nick sniffed and then frowned. My fear was pouring off of me permeating the air. I stiffened wondering what he would do to me. Yes, he said no one would hurt me, but what if I pushed them far enough?

"No, you're not," he said softly and he let go of my arm. "I told you you're forbidden to lie here and to me, Noah," he said in a harder voice. I gulped now. See, I wasn't worth the effort. I knew it. Everyone else could just be good and do what they said. Everyone else could be brave and be what a pack member was supposed to be. Why couldn't I stop screwing up? Why couldn't I prove myself and stop being so stupid?

"You don't look fine, mate, you look like you're going to be sick," Reese commented. I looked at him and then up at Nick again. He stood now with his arms crossed gazing down at me. He suddenly looked behind me and I heard almost silent footsteps come up behind me. I stiffened. 'You're just not worth this, Noah, you never will be' my mind said. My eyes filled with dread and I dropped my gaze to the hardwood floor again waiting for Antonio to hit me. He smelt the fear, they all did.

"Noah," I heard behind me. I tensed and looked up at Nick for guidance. He gave me a stern look and made a turning around gesture. I sighed and did as he told me but I could not meet Antonio's eyes. Nick must have been wrong. I knew what Antonio would do.

"Look at me kid," he said softly. I hesitated for a second too long and saw his hand come up. I backed up and flinched running into Nick and almost falling. Stupid, I was such a coward. I had been able to face Clay with courage, so why couldn't I face Antonio and Nick? Why was I so stupid?

"Wow," Nick said grabbing onto my shoulders. My cheeks burned with shame and fear and I looked at the floor again clenching my fist. Kick me out, go ahead. You don't have time for a kid like me.

"Ok, everyone take a deep breath. Reese, go back to bed. Noah, go wait in your room," Nick said. I nodded immediately and without looking at anyone I went. I watched my feet as I walked and heard Reese following.

"Hey," he said when we had topped the stairs. I looked up at him questioningly. "You don't have to be afraid of them, mate, they're good," he told me setting a hand on my shoulder. I nodded but I wasn't convinced. It seemed to me I had a knack for turning people against me because they knew I was no good. Deep inside I was rotten. I nodded at Reese and then headed into my room before they caught me disobeying them. I closed the door lightly and sat crossed legged on the bed. Should I pack? What would Jeremy say? Would anyone be surprised?

I waited only a few minutes before a quick knock at my door broke me from my thoughts. I looked up to see both Nick and Antonio entering. Nick hesitated and stayed back a bit while Antonio came forward. He kept a 5 foot space in front of us clear, though. He then crouched down so he was closer to me eye level.

"Noah, I just want to say I'm sorry I scared you. It was not my intention to do that. The noise from the crash startled me and had me thinking a mutt might be here. It's my job to protect all of you and I wasn't sure how to react when I saw it was just you. When I told you to go I was afraid you would get glass all in your feet. I wasn't angry. I also want you to know I was not going to hit you, Noah. I was going to force you to look at me but I was not going to hit you. No one will ever hit you again," he told me. I saw conviction in his eyes as I tried to keep his gaze but I eventually looked away and just nodded. What was going on? Where was the 'you're leaving' speech? Where was the 'you're not worth this shit' talk? "Good night, Noah," he said when he saw I wasn't quite sure about what he was saying. I nodded hoping I had not disappointed him but fearing that I had. A disappointment, that's what I was.

"Shove over, kid, we need to talk," Nick said when Antonio left. I moved over and waited as he settled beside me. "You're going to have to get used to looking at me when we talk," Nick said when we had both sat in silence for a few moments. It was hard for me to do this. I looked up when he didn't speak again looking into his gaze. Again, I only saw concern. I gazed back confused. "Remember when I told you we would not hurt you no matter what you did?" he asked. I nodded. "Verbal," he reminded.

"Yes, I remember Nick," I told him and he nodded. Where was his smile now? Maybe he would realize that he couldn't smile as much with me around because I kept screwing up and ruining his life style. He'd take the hint and eventually he'd be begging Antonio or Jeremy to take over Noah duty or convincing them I needed to go back to my mother. I had already decided if that happened I would just run away. I had survived out there before and I could do it again.

"Ok, we'll work on it. Eyes up here," he said in his more serious tone when he saw I was wavering again. I immediately looked at him. God, I couldn't do anything right. "What were you doing out of bed so late? Don't get me wrong, this is your home now and you can wander around if you want but...I was just surprised is all," he said. I shrugged and didn't answer for a moment trying to control the fear coming off my body.

"Verbal, Noah, I can't read your mind and neither of us is going back to bed until I get my answers," he told me in a harder voice. I gulped again and tried to think of how to say what I wanted to. That's it, Noah, keep screwing up like usual. I hated the voice in my head. It sounded just like my stepfather.

"I just woke up and couldn't sleep so I decided to wander around. I saw the pictures and I saw the one of Dennis and Joseph. I just wanted a closer look," I whispered. I looked at him and then looked away not wanting to see his reaction. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid I chastised myself.

"Is that all?" Nick asked and I heard him chuckle. I looked up surprised and saw he was smiling again. I nodded and he laughed now. "God, Noah, you were acting like I should be giving you the death sentence, kid, you scared me," he admitted. I raised an eyebrow at him now. I scared him? I didn't get it. "Here by the way," he said now. I looked down and saw he had the picture I was looking at. He handed it to me. "I noticed you don't have any pictures of them so you can keep this," he said. Surprised, I took it. Confusion filled me. Why? Why was he being so nice when I was clearly not worth it?

"Thank you," I whispered. I took the photo and looked down on it trying to decipher my thoughts. I decided I needed to grow some courage now and quick. "Why?" I asked now. I looked at him and saw my confusion in his eyes. He then looked at the photo and smiled.

"You deserve to have at least one picture of him," he said. I nodded now. I guess it was reasonable to have one picture of your biological family. "No one's angry with you, we were just concerned is all. You need to learn to tell the difference between concern and anger or frustration, kid. I know it will take a while to get used to being here and being with us but we want you here, alright? We're going to make it work," he said. What? He wanted me here? Is that what he just said? Why? I didn't ask him anymore questions, though, seeing he was tired and so was I, come to think of it.

"Get some sleep and if you can't sleep feel free to wander around again just try and be careful," Nick grinned. I smiled back and nodded as he got up and walked across the room. He shot me yet another grin. I lay back down and tried to sleep but just ended up thinking. It seemed like everything was ok now but what were they really thinking? I wasn't sure. They could be talking right now about how they couldn't do this. Maybe they weren't, though? I had no way to know how badly I screwed up.

Nick seemed to be getting more comfortable with giving advice. At first he kind of seemed off kilter but now, even if he did consult Antonio which I knew he did, he seemed to be getting the role a bit better. Antonio confused me a bit. He seemed nice, like Nick, and he did come and apologize for scaring me but he hung back a lot. I know Nick said he was in charge too but it seemed like he wasn't in charge as much as Nick. Finally, my mind got heavy going over these thoughts again and again and I fell into an uneasy sleep.

I awoke and went to breakfast the next morning to find that Antonio had gone to work already. It was close to noon after all. I joined Reese and Nick who immediately offered me coffee, toast, cereal or anything hot they could make. I was surprised to say the least. Having spent most of my life fighting to eat especially when food was scarce occasionally at my mother's place and in foster care sometimes it was nonexistent.

"Eat up," Nick encouraged pushing more food my way. "You need to put on some weight," he told me. I nodded and reflected his permanent smile back. This part of my new lifestyle I enjoyed. It seemed like there would always be enough food here. I looked away from his gaze now and down at my food, hoping I would get used to this soon and get used to the rules and living here so I could be comfortable and get into less trouble.

"So what are we doing today, Nick?" Reese finally asked. I had been wondering this too and I looked up when he spoke. I had been staring at my cereal as I ate for the last few minutes just listening to Reese and Nick. I caught Nick's eyes when I looked at them and wondered if he had been watching me, it sure seemed like it. Reese noticed Nick's gaze and looked my way for a few moments before looking at Nick again. I blushed at the attention and tried to squelch my nervousness. I saw him sniff and take in my scent but he said nothing to this and turned to Reese instead. Would I ever stop attracting attention from him?

"I'm taking you boys into New York City for some shopping. You both need clothes, shoes and lots of other stuff. We might make two trips if we can't get it all done today." Reese smiled and nodded at this but my gut clenched. Clothes and things were expensive. How much money was he willing to spend on me? I didn't know but I couldn't let him. This was getting ridiculous and I would never be able to pay them back. This would just add to the 'we made a mistake bringing Noah here' feeling. "Noah, you ok?" Nick asked. I nodded quickly looking down at my empty bowl. I heard him sigh now.

"Noah, you need to get used to talking to me, kid, I can't read your mind," Nick said. I nodded now still looking at the cereal bowl. "Guys, clean your stuff up, we're leaving soon," Nick said when I did not give him the desired response. I waited until he left and then I looked up. Reese looked at me and then shook his head taking his and Nick's dishes.

"I told you, it's not the slaughter house. You don't need to act like you're on a death sentence," Reese commented. I shrugged and took my dishes to the dish washer. He sighed now and I winced. I had the sense they were all getting irritated with me. They would learn soon enough I wasn't really worth the bother. I could enjoy myself until then I supposed.

After we finished I went to take a shower and dress and then went back down to see if anyone else was ready. I didn't want to be the one holding them all up as usual. I saw Nick's study door open when I walked into the hallway. Quickly I took a peek in and saw he was sitting on the couch with his eyes closed like he was thinking. I tried to leave quickly so I would not interrupt him but he instantly knew I was there. He opened his eyes and smiled at me beckoning me forward.

"Noah...," he began and I stiffened. I knew what I had to do if I wanted to stay here. I walked forward and stood five feet in front of him looking at the floor.

"I'm sorry, Nick," I whispered. I heard him growl and, surprised, I looked up. He had his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed at me. Was this the moment he would realize his mistake? That bringing me home was like bringing a fish home. It was fun at first but the appeal soon wore off and the fish usually died. Not that I was going to die but you get it.

"Stop it," he demanded. I looked at him confused and he sighed again. "Stop apologizing for every little thing, kid. You didn't do anything wrong, if anything the fault is mine. I'm quite honestly not used to being in charge of young pack members and I'm not really sure what I'm doing. I don't even have an inkling of what you or Reese has gone through but I'm trying. That means you need to try too, Noah. You need to stop acting like I'm going to kick you out and grow some confidence because your here to stay. Trust me, ok?" he asked. I looked at him but said nothing. "Verbal," he said again. Oops.

"Yes, I understand, I'm sor...," I started to say but he held up a hand stopping me

"You'll learn eventually and you'll also learn to trust me and the pack eventually. That's part of the problem, isn't it? You don't trust us yet. I don't blame you. You're not used to trusting people because you haven't really had any good people in your life to trust," he stated. No, that wasn't true. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fist but said nothing as Nick studied my behaviour.

"Talk, Noah, tell me why you're upset," Nick demanded leaning forward now and uncrossing his arms. Should I? I didn't want to make the situation any worse but, honestly, how could it be any worse?

"You're wrong, Nick," I said trying to keep my cool. He raised an eyebrow clearly not expecting this reply. He then crossed his arms again.

"Oh?" he said in a cooler tone. Shit.

"No, I mean I had Dennis, he was good so I did have someone once," I said quietly. Immediately Nick softened his look and nodded in understanding.

"You miss him, huh?" Nick said. I looked at the ground again and nodded. Dennis was the first person to see me as worth wild. He and I spent every weekend together going fishing, snow shoeing and wood carving. He taught me everything he knew. He loved me and made me feel like I was a human being. So, yeah I missed him, so much. "I'm sorry, Noah. I didn't consider Dennis. He was a good guy. I remember him from when I was a kid. He was kind and as patient as hell. He was good," Nick said and I nodded again calming down somewhat.

"Everything's going to be ok, Noah, I promise you'll see that," Nick said softly. I looked up at him then and saw that in his eyes. He looked determined and like he wanted me to trust him, maybe someday but not yet. I still wasn't entirely sure I belonged here or that they wanted me here as something other than a burden so we'd see.

After we talked we headed into the city. I sat in the back answering questions when they asked but otherwise keeping silent and listening to Reese and Nick. Those two seemed to have an easy relationship joking and talking. Reese hadn't been there long either so I wondered why he learned to trust so soon. Maybe he hadn't and it was just a show.

A few hours later found us in the mall picking out clothes. I had decided I would only get the cheapest stuff even if I didn't like it. My plan wasn't really working, though, because Nick only liked high end places and he said that if we were with him we needed to look the part. Nick also had a really good eye for what looked good on people so he was literally throwing clothes at us to try on and I had to admit all the ones he picked for me made me look either taller or older so I loved them. I hated the prices, though. I got more and more nervous as we shopped. Nick was stopping at nothing to get us everything in every top brand name he could. Finally, I just couldn't take it anymore. We were in _Bench_ and looking at coats. One of the last things on the list we needed to get. I fingered one looking at it longingly. It was really nice and I would love to have it but I would never ask. Instead I turned to the cheaper ones, though, not that much cheaper considering the store and perused them.

"Noah, try this on," Nick called as the coat that I had been eyeing flew my way. I caught it and then looked at him shaking my head.

"No, I like these ones," I said randomly pointing to the rack I had been looking at. In the background I saw Reese trying on a coat as well and grinning. He seemed to be fine with being lavished with great stuff. Why couldn't I be?

"Fine but those are fall coats you need a winter one," Nick said coming to look at the fall coats and picking out a few for me to try on. I knew I had come with few clothes but a winter coat was one of the items so I didn't need one.

"I've got one, Nick," I said shoving the coat his way but he shook his head. He grabbed another coat and threw it Reese's way now.

"Thanks, mate," Reese grinned. Nick sent him a winning smile and turned back to me now with the same grin.

"What you have is a ratty piece of shit I fully intend to throw away once we get home. You need a coat so try this on and no arguing," he told me. I looked at him and the article of clothing crossing my arms.

"I'm fine," I protested. Nick gave me a look and then sighed. Great, I was getting on his nerves again. How stupid was I? He was giving me everything and I was pushing him to the edge. I may as well just go home and pack if I was going to keep being this stupid.

"Fine, I'm just getting you this one in a small, it should fit you," he said turning to Reese to consult about yet another coat. Angrily, I turned from them and walked from the store, parking myself on a nearby bench and crossing my arms in frustration. I would never be able to repay them for this stuff. I wasn't worth this much money. Why did he insist on buying me clothes when I knew I wasn't even staying long? That at any minute they would realize how wrong they were about taking me in and throw me out or ship me back to Alaska.

Reese and Nick came out a few minutes later totting bags. Immediately, Nick strode forward and looked down on me. I didn't meet his gaze. He was angry I could tell. "Noah, eyes up here," he said. He didn't sound happy. I looked up and saw he was extremely frustrated. So was I. He crouched down now and set a hand on my knee. "What is going on in that head of yours, Noah? I don't understand. I'm trying to give you everything I think you need and all I'm getting in return is anger and frustration. What am I doing wrong?" he asked. I looked away then biting my lip. He hadn't done anything wrong, I had.

"Nothing," I said quietly. I looked over at him to see him studying me. He sighed and stood then and without saying another word he began walking. I looked at Reese who beckoned me to follow. I did. We went to the Mercedes and they loaded the things in the back. Nick unlocked the doors and gestured for me to get in. I did as he said. The ride home was almost silent. Reese tried to break up the silence with banter but neither of us was taking the bait so he eventually stopped, staring moodily out the window.

When we got home Nick told us to put our stuff in our rooms but added that Reese may as well take his to the guest house because they had decided he would stay there. Reese grinned from ear to ear but I didn't join in his happiness. I took my stuff upstairs like Nick said and the only thing I could think is how badly I was screwing up. How I definitely was not worth this much trouble. How stupid I was to have actually wanted to be here when I knew I would not be staying long. I set my bags on the floor and then lay on my bed unmoving. I had no idea why I could not just be normal.

I lay in my room for over an hour and I was surprised Nick hadn't come up yet. They liked to talk in this family. Talk about everything it seemed. I wasn't used to talking about my feelings. I was used to pushing them down and ignoring them. I wasn't used to people thinking I was actually important and for people actually wanting to listen to what I had to say. Was I important though? I certainly didn't feel important. When I first learned I was a werewolf I thought that finally I was special and important but it was just me with some extra features. I wasn't any different, well, I was but now I was a freak too. That's what I felt like.

I sighed getting hungry and left my room. It was definitely past supper time and I had heard nothing about food. I should stop expecting this, though. Just because I was here now and these people seemed as if they wanted to help me it didn't mean they did. I wasn't really worth it and I knew this. I had known this from the time I was little. I had tried to get attention and be worth it when I had started my life of being a criminal but it only made it worse. Was there any way that I would be allowed to stay with the pack? I sighed and walked into the kitchen grabbing a banana and some juice. I was about to go back to my room when I heard the murmur of voices. I crept closer to Nick's office and listened.

"Antonio, I have no idea what to do with him. I'm trying to get him things and be there for him but he keeps being miserable. He keeps acting like I'm going to beat him or worse. What am I doing wrong, dad?" I heard Nick ask. My gut clenched then. He was talking to Antonio about me now. What would Antonio do? He was the head of the household here even if Nick was going to be my legal guardian or whatever. I decided to keep listening to see if I could determine my future before they told me I was going to get kicked out or before Nick told his father he couldn't do this anymore because I wasn't like Reese and I wasn't normal.


	4. Ch 4 Patience

I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.

This is a collaborative project by **SheWolf13** and **SuperNatural1985**. The story is based on what we have read about Noah, in _Frostbitten_ and _Hidden_, and is a second attempt at the original story _**About Noah**_ originally published on SuperNatural1985's profile.

Ch 4 Patience

"You have to have patience, Nick," I heard Antonio say in a soft voice. "Do you really think I could have raised you without any?" he continued with a chuckle, "He'll come around. We can't even imagine what he's—"

A hand went over my mouth and pulled me back sending a scent up towards my nose. Reese. He dragged me back about 10 feet and then let me go. I spun around, excuses flying to my mouth, but Reese held up a hand to stop me and pointed towards the stairs looking furious. I hunched over defeated. Great. I'd been caught eavesdropping. I was so screwed. Today, I had lied to, disobeyed and, now, disrespected my future legal guardian. Could it get any worse?

I made my way up the stairs as quietly as I could so Nick and Antonio wouldn't hear. Only when I reached the top did I hear Reese behind me. Why was he following me? Shouldn't he be ratting me out to Nick and Antonio right about now? I didn't say anything, however, and went straight to my room. I walked in and sat on my bed feeling miserable. Reese closed the door behind him but I didn't look up keeping my gaze on the floor.

"You don't have to say anything, Reese. Just go tell Antonio and Nick and get this over with, please," I said pleadingly. I really just wanted this to be over. Once Reese told them what I had done, they would finally see what a screw up I am, that I'm not worth their time or money and they'd kick me out once and for all. I felt tears start up behind my eyes but I blinked them back. They were just another sign of my weakness. I didn't do a vey good job of hiding them though because Reese sat down next to me and put an arm around me.

"I'm not going to say anything, mate. Don't worry about it," he said softly trying to calm me down but it didn't work. I could smell my own fear, the fear of everyone realizing what I really was. Weak and not worth a thing. "Noah, calm down." But I couldn't.

"Why aren't you going to say anything?" I asked in a small voice. I couldn't understand it. If he told Antonio and Nick what I'd just done, he would win massive brownie points with them.

"Because I trust that you won't do it again, Noah. I know you know it was wrong, which is why you're scared shitless, but I trust you," he said and I looked up at him sharply, not believing him. Did he just say he trusted me? Why? Couldn't he see just how weak I was? "So, no eavesdropping," he said looking me in the eyes with a hard look making sure I understood. I nodded and felt slightly relieved, maybe I could trust Reese if he trusted me.

"What's this about eavesdropping?" I heard from the doorway and we both turned to see Nick standing there looking unimpressed.

"It's my fault, Nick. I heard you guys talking and was listening in when Noah came down and saw me. I'm sorry, mate," he said looking away from Nick's gaze, more to hide the fact that he was lying than for submission. I didn't dare look at Nick either or he'd see my shock. What the hell was Reese doing? Why the hell was he taking the fall? Didn't he realize that he would be kicked out?

"Really? And what we're we talking about?" Nick asked lifting an eyebrow in disbelief. Damn. He knew. He knew Reese was lying. I was so going to get it.

"Noah," Reese said, "You were talking about Noah." He still didn't look up to look Nick in the eyes but I chanced a glance up and saw that Nick's look had softened somewhat. "It's just that I was worried about the little guy," Reese continued swinging a smile my way. Nick still didn't look like he believed us but he let it go, for now at least.

"Alright. Well, I guess you already know that you'll have extra chores for the next week then?" Nick said and Reese nodded still keeping his eyes on the floor. I was about to protest but Reese sent me a warning look. He's right. If I protested Nick would know who had really been doing the eavesdropping and Reese would get into even deeper shit, but I didn't like the fact that he was getting into trouble because of me. Nor did I understand why he was doing this. Did he really trust me that much to take the fall for me? Or was this just a show and then he'd hold this over my head in the future? Or was I just thinking the worst of people again?

"Go back to the guest house, Reese, I'll be there in a while to talk with you," Nick said now with a stern look in his eyes. I imagine he was trying to get the fatherly looks under wraps. He wasn't doing so bad if you asked me. Reese got up and left without a word or backwards glance. Would he tell Nick the truth later? Maybe he'd regret helping me out at the thought of a week of extra chores. But why'd he even help me to begin with?

"Noah," Nick said as he sat down beside me on the bed. He put an arm around me just like Reese had done only moments before. "Noah, look at me," he ordered and I quickly looked up into his brown eyes, but when I went to look away submissively he reached out and held my chin. "We were talking about you but only because I was asking Antonio's advice. Like I told you the other day, I'm new to this being in charge of younger Pack members thing. I'm trying to understand what it is that you and Reese need from me, but I don't seem to be getting it right with either of you," he said and finally let go of my chin to pass a hand through his hair looking a bit frustrated. How was he getting it wrong with Reese? It seemed like they got along just fine.

"Its okay, Nick," I said, remembering that he wanted me to be more verbal. I was going to at least try and make him happy, even if it didn't mean anything for the long term. "I know I can be, well, difficult," I said lamely. You are much more than difficult, Noah, or have you already forgotten the adjectives that Simon used just for you? I tried to squelch the voice out of my head but it was still there, taunting me. Be honest with yourself, Noah, how long do you think it will take for them to realize just how pathetic you really are?

"Noah?" I heard Nick say and focused my gaze to find him looking at me, eyes filled with concern. "Are you alright, kid?" he asked, his voice tinged with the worry from his eyes. I nodded looking away and I heard him growl with frustration. "Noah, look at me and do not lie to me." I looked up to see that he was still concerned and that he was trying to fight back his frustration. "Tell me what's wrong, Noah." I couldn't lie to him but I didn't want to tell him the truth, he'd figure it out eventually.

"I…I don't want to talk about it, Nick," I said honestly. "I'm sorry," I added for good measure but almost winced when I heard him growl again. Shit. Was I disobeying him for not wanting to talk about it? God damn it! Couldn't I do anything right? How can you when you're so pathetic, Noah? I shut the voice up and focused on Nick. I was going to have make something up or I was going to get kicked out sooner rather than later.

"I told you not to apologize for everything, Noah. If you don't feel like talking about, that's fine, but we talk about our problems in this house, kid," Nick said before I could even begin to spin the lie. Wait, so he wasn't frustrated at me for not talking about, just for apologizing? I was so unaccustomed to this kind of behaviour that it was almost alien to me. The only person that had ever treated me with such kindness was now dead because of me, because of my stupidity. "And you're not difficult, Noah," Nick said interrupting my thoughts, "I'm just too slow to understand you guys. But I'll get there eventually. I just have to be patient. Just don't leave me hanging, okay? If I get something wrong tell me, don't bury it inside. We have to talk things out, okay, kid?" I nodded not sure if he really wanted to know what was on my mind but I may as well give it a shot if it would make him happy.

"Okay. About today, then. I just… I don't think…" I stammered lamely. Damn it, Noah, how about you learn to speak properly? I growled with frustration at the voice. I hated how it sounded just like Simon. Nick was studying me, trying to understand my frustration, I guess. I took a deep breath and ploughed forward. "You shouldn't spend so much money on me," I managed to say. Finally, Noah, stammer much?

"Why?" Nick said as he continued to assess me. Because I'm not worth it. I'm going to let you down sooner or later and you'll regret ever having been so kind to me.

"Because I… I'll never be able to repay you," I said truthfully but preferring to hide the other thoughts that showed my true weaknesses. Nick looked at me shocked for a few seconds, when finally he smiled. Thank God, I was starting to get worried; he hadn't smiled since we'd left the City, the longest I've seen him without smiling. However, the smile confused me. Why was he smiling? Did I say something funny?

"Noah, do you really think I expect you repay us?" Nick asked trying very hard not to laugh. I nodded trying to understand what was so funny, but Nick just chucked at my nod and let out a sigh of relief. "God, Noah, we would never expect you to do that. Hell, we would be insulted if you even tried to repay us," he said still beaming. I looked at him confused. Why the hell would they be insulted if I tried to repay them? Wasn't that what normal people do? "Kid, we're going to look after you for as long as you let us, no matter what happens. I'm in charge of looking after you and I want you to be happy. I want you to have everything that I can give you and I don't want anything in return, understand?" I nodded but I wasn't sure I understood. What kind of people did good deeds for nothing in return? Good, decent and kind people, everything the Sorrentinos seemed to be. Why couldn't I accept that? Because I'd never known that kind of people until I met Dennis. He has been patient with me and had never given up on me no matter what I did. Was Nick telling the truth? Would they really look after me no matter what? I wasn't sure. I wanted to believe it and a part of me already did but I was going to have to be careful. I wasn't going to let them see how pathetic I was just in case they changed their minds.

"Well, I'm going to go see Reese," Nick said as he stood and made his way to the door, stopping halfway and turning to me saying, "I suppose I don't have to tell you that we won't tolerate eavesdropping in this house?" I shook my head but Nick raised an eyebrow at me. Damn. Verbal, remember?

"No, Nick. You don't have to tell me, I know," I said and I seemed to please Nick. Good. Maybe I could hide my worthlessness after all.

As soon as Nick left, I grabbed the banana and juice from behind me and ate up. God, I was hungry. When the werewolf genes had started to kick in and the need to eat more grew, I hadn't really thought much of it. I was a guy after all and all the ones I knew could eat an entire pizza by themselves. I was eating two though, but like I said, it didn't bother me. Only when the heightened senses kicked in did I start thinking something was up. I was smelling things I normally couldn't smell, hearing things there was no way I should have been hearing and seeing in dark places when everyone around me couldn't even see shadows. Thankfully, I met Dennis shortly after the changes started to appear and he told me the truth. I almost crushed the juice box in my hand at the thought of Dennis but I quickly stopped before I made a mess. God, how I missed him.

I felt I slight pull at the tendons in my hand but I pushed it back. I knew my Change was way over due but I hadn't had the time nor the courage to go through it. While I'd been Travis and Eddie's prisoner I'd only Changed once but only because I could no longer hold it back and they'd locked me in my bedroom until I'd Changed back. That had been over a week ago.

I needed to Change, but how were you supposed to do it when you were with the Pack? I knew that they did Pack runs and hunts and all that, but I didn't know what to expect. I'd only ever run with Dennis before, since Joey had had his own way of dealing with his Changes. Should I go tell Nick that I needed to Change? Would he help me like Dennis had done? I still didn't have my Changes totally under control but Dennis had been teaching me to Change twice a week, coaching me through it and never leaving my side, letting me know he was there for me should I need him. Would they do the same for me?

I put the juice box and banana peel on the bedside table and crawled into bed. I felt restless because of the need to Change but I was also tired. I felt like I had walked through all of New York City today, my feet completely agreeing with me. My mind wouldn't shut up either, making sleep even more elusive. It was going through the day's events over and over again, pulling at my weaknesses. Does Reese really trust me or is he just playing with me? Was Nick telling the truth, is he really going to look after me no matter how badly I screw up? The little voice in my head was calling me an idiot for even considering the possibility that someone would look after me and that they wanted me here, despite how pathetic I was. I tried to push the voice back without success so I focused on the white ceiling of my room, trying to empty my mind. I started to count my heartbeats so my thoughts wouldn't go astray and somewhere in the 200s I finally fell asleep.

"Noah. Wake up, mate," I heard an Aussie accent calling to me but I was too comfortable in the blissful dream I was in to bother responding. I pulled the covers over my head and heard a soft chuckle then I felt a body on top of me. My eyes flew open to find Reese looking down at me grinning, my foggy brain not understanding a thing. I tried to get away from under him but his hands yanked the covers down and found my arm pits starting to tickle me. I burst out laughing, begging Reese to stop but only managed to get a few words out between my gasping for air. When I thought I couldn't take it anymore, Reese stopped and I jumped on him and a play fight ensued. After what felt like hours, he jumped off the bed and stood about 8 feet away, keeping his distance.

I looked up at Reese to see him beaming down at me, as if expecting me to follow through with his game. Wasn't he angry with me, though? He got into trouble because of me and was being punished for it, wasn't he? My confusion must of shown on my face because Reese asked, "What's wrong, mate? Did I hurt you?" He sounded concerned now and stepped forward slightly, but I shook my head. "Verbal, Noah," he reminded me.

"No, you didn't hurt me, Reese. I just… I, um, don't understand. Aren't you angry with me?" I asked not quite sure if I should be asking. Maybe he'll just get angry at me because I asked. Don't be stupid, Noah, if he gets angry it'll be because he's realized what a pathetic loser you are. I ignored the voice and looked at Reese; he seemed almost as confused as I felt.

"Why would I be angry with you?" he asked frowning in his confusion, but now it was my turn to frown. Was he for real?

"You got into trouble because of me. By all accounts you should be pissed," I said trying to make him see the light but not quite sure why. Shouldn't I be happy that he's not angry? Aren't I making things worse by reminding him what he did for me? Reese just laughed, though.

"Noah, I got into trouble because I lied, so technically I should be punished for it. Just don't say anything to Nick about the truth though or we'll both be in trouble," he said, but there was something I still needed to know.

"Why, though? Why'd you do it?" I asked. I needed to know why he did what he did. Reese just continued to smile at me as he moved closer and pounced, pinning me under him as he tickled me again.

"Because that's what Pack brothers do, mate, they look out for each other, at least, that's what I've learned so far," he said once he finished his most recent assault. I stared up at him. Pack brothers? I guess we were Pack brothers, but I had no idea what that meant. Dennis had said that it was supposed to be like real brothers except for being blood related, but I didn't have any brothers so I had no idea what being a brother or Pack brother really meant. However, maybe I could find a way to help him with the chores so as not to burden him with what should have been my chores. Looking out for each other, I guess, like Pack brothers. Before I could say anything to Reese, however, Nick came in through the door, and I was glad to see him smiling. Looks like everyone's in a good mood today. Except me. I was starting to get restless and not from lack of sleep.

"Good morning, boys. I thought I heard Noah getting attacked so I was hoping to join in on some action," Nick said with a cheeky grin stamped on his face. The moment Reese turned to look at Nick though; I pushed him off me and jumped on top of him and initiated my assault on tickling and play fighting. He started to push me off him, since I wasn't as strong as he was but Nick joined me and together we attacked Reese until he was gasping for air. We got off him to let him catch his breath and I looked over at Nick. He shot me a winning smile which I returned eagerly. As soon as I heard Reese regain his breath I looked over at him and he motioned softly with his head towards Nick. I smiled and he launched himself onto Nick, pinning him on the bed, with me closely behind. We play fought with him until we heard a booming laugh from the doorway.

We all turned to see Antonio and Jeremy standing there. Antonio had been the one that had laughed but Jeremy was smiling one of his rare smiles so he was obviously amused as well. Even though he was smiling I couldn't help but feel a bit of fear. Was this why everyone was so happy? Was Jeremy here to send me back home? Had they already had enough of me? A part of me told me to stop being an idiot, that why would they kick me out after Reese had called me a Pack brother, but the Simon voice was telling me that I was an idiot for thinking that they actually liked me, that they actually wanted me to stay despite everything they had said.

"Boys, leave some Nicky for me," Antonio said as he came towards us. Nick bucked under Reese, making him loose his grip on him, and scrammed off the bed away from his father. Antonio smiled over at him and said, "Come on, Nicky, you know you can't escape."

"I can sure as hell try," Nick said. Honestly though, he didn't have a chance at escaping. Reese and I were still on the bed waiting for him and Antonio was closing in on him, blocking his other escape route. The familiarity of the situation pushed my fears back, if only temporarily. Hopefully, no one had had the chance to smell my fear. Antonio pounced then and caught Nick as he tried to side step his father. They went down and Antonio tickled his son mercilessly. As I watched them I felt a sudden pang of longing. Joey hadn't been much of a father and now there was no way we would ever have the chance at having the relationship that Antonio and Nick had, not that Joey had been one for tickle attacks or play fighting.

Once Nick was gasping for air, Antonio got up and started to walk back to Jeremy, who was still smiling at the situation from the doorway. I briefly wondered why he didn't participate, but then remembered that he was Alpha after all, and tickle attacks probably weren't on the list of good Alpha protocol. As Antonio was passing the foot of the bed, Nick leapt up and ran for his father but Antonio side stepped just in time, grabbing his son in a head lock with one arm and giving him a noogie with the other. Reese burst into laughter beside me and I couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Come on, boys. Time for breakfast," Antonio said as he let go of his son and started moving towards the door. Reese, Nick and I followed him and Jeremy out the door with Reese still laughing at Nick's predicament, his contagious laughter making me laugh as well. Nick looked over at me and beamed.

As we walked into the kitchen, my apprehension grew again. Why was Jeremy here? Was he here to tell me off for all my disobeying and lying? Maybe he wasn't even here for me. Not likely, said the Simon voice, you're a screw up. I tried to push my fear down before anyone smelt it or before it forced a Change. Since it was way overdue, I knew the fear could make me Change without even meaning to. So I forced myself to calm down focused on the cereal I was eating.

Once I finished, I cleaned up and was about to follow Reese out the door when Nick called me back. I turned around, dread filling me. So Jeremy was here for me. Nick was still smiling though. Was he happy because Jeremy was taking me away or kicking me out or something?

"I have your new documents, Noah," Jeremy said and I looked at him seeing that he had a large envelope in his hands. Oh. So I had been overreacting. Again. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Will I never learn? "Do you want to take a look?" he asked when I didn't respond. I nodded but Nick shot me a look. Verbal, it said.

"Yes," I said and stepped towards him. Inside the envelope were all the documents I would ever need in my life, from a birth certificate—marking my date of birth a year after my real one—to high school grades—which weren't very accurate since I'd been failing and the documents said I'd passed, if only slightly— to an ID card to a passport to credit and debit cards, always under the same name. Noah Sorrentino. I even found a piece of paper where it said that Nick was now my legal guardian. I looked up at my Alpha and said, "Thank you." Jeremy studied me for a moment before nodding.

Nick came forward and clapped a hand on my shoulder and smiled his smile down at me. "Come, kid. Go have a shower and get dressed. We have an appointment at the school in an hour, so you better hurry," he said. School? Oh shit. I had never been good at school, I hated how everyone was able to pass without any problems and I had to spend hours studying to scrap a pass. It wasn't fair and I knew it wasn't my fault, but that just made me feel worse, knowing that there was nothing I could do to change who I was. I nodded to Nick and left the kitchen as quickly as possible.

I showered and dressed not letting my thoughts wonder to the subject of school, but I couldn't stop the fear from flooding me, making my muscles itch and stretch. I had to close my eyes and concentrate on the laces on my Converse' so as not to Change right here in the middle of my room. I hadn't finally managed to hold it back when I heard a knock at my door and Nick walked in, smiling at me.

"Ready?" he asked. I nodded knowing he would want me to be verbal but I was afraid I'd vomit if I opened my mouth, the nerves eating at my stomach. Nick must've sensed this, though, because he didn't say anything and led me out the door. This was not going to go well.

As we made our way through the foyer, Jeremy called out to us and told us to stop. My nerves grew as he came towards us making fighting against the Change very difficult. Was he rethinking having me here? Had giving me the documents been a test that I'd somehow failed?

"You're going to have cancel the appointment, Nick," he said once he got to us and then fixed his gaze on me. I quickly looked away submissively from the Alpha. Shit. That's it, I'm done for. Somehow I'd screwed up just like I knew I would and they were sending me back. I noticed that Antonio was standing behind Jeremy looking slightly confused at his Alpha's orders.

"Noah, give me your arm," Jeremy said and held up my right arm to him, not understanding where he was going with this until he pulled back my sleeve. Oh shit. The skin that was showing was stretching and pulsing, the hairs on my arms growing and then retracting every few seconds. Jeremy held out my arm for Antonio and Nick to see. Nick swore and turned to me worry flooding his eyes.

"Noah, look at me," I heard Jeremy say and I reluctantly lifted my gaze to his. "You are never to hide something like this from me. If you need to Change, you tell me, Antonio, Nick or whoever is closest, understand?" I nodded and thankfully he didn't ask me to verbal. He then let go of my wrist and turned to Nick, saying, "You need to be careful, Nick. These are some of the things you need to watch out for." I looked up to see Nick nod and I felt my heart sink. You're such a screw up, Noah, that you even got Nick into trouble.

I was about to start apologizing to Nick, knowing that this was definitely something I had to apologize for, when he turned to me and tried to smile but didn't quite manage it and said, "Come on, kid. You need to Change."


	5. Ch 5 Being Pack

I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.

This is a collaborative project by **SheWolf13** and **SuperNatural1985**. The story is based on what we have read about Noah, in _Frostbitten_ and _Hidden_, and is a second attempt at the original story _**About Noah**_ originally published on SuperNatural1985's profile.

Ch 5 Being Pack

I walked across the back lawn with Nick on one side of me and Antonio on the other. Reese was already in the woods Changing. I glanced back at the house and saw Jeremy was just starting to follow us. "Noah," Nick said now. I turned back to him and gave him my full attention. He was still smiling and he didn't seem angry so maybe I had not screwed up too badly. "Pack wolves Change on command ok. So, instead of just Changing when we need to we need to be able to Change whenever we need to or are ordered too," he informed and me and I gulped. I had a hard time Changing once a week and it hurt like hell. They wanted me to Change more now. I was going to screw this up so badly. "What are you thinking?" Nick asked when he saw my face. Shit. Noah keep your emotions in check already.

"I just...I've only Changed a few times and it took forever. I don't think I can do it more than once a week," I admitted looking away ashamed. I was trying so hard to prove I was not a freak and not weak but I was failing.

"Well, you'll learn," Nick said. My stomach slammed into my throat at these words. It was basically a command. If I couldn't do it would I be kicked out? Worry started to come off me in waves then. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder and a soft command to look up. I did and met Antonio's concerned eyes.

"What Nick meant to say was that with our help you will learn to do it in time and eventually it will get a lot easier," he said. He smiled at me encouragingly. I hoped he was right. I looked behind Tonio to see Nick looking a bit frustrated but he was taking it all in. I knew he was trying hard to deal with us. I also knew Antonio would be stepping in from time to time until he was comfortable with being our mentor.

"It's about being pack," Nick said grinning. Being pack. I would need to learn how to be pack. It seemed kind of complicated right now. All the rules and responsibilities and the hierarchies I wasn't quite sure about yet. Being pack didn't seem easy but I was determined to do it and prove I was not worthless.

"For now you'll only change with the pack and then we will start you near humans in a few years and then among them a few years after that. You can get used to controlling yourself around humans so you don't harm them," Jeremy voice came from behind us then. I looked back at him but I only nodded. I needed to get through this Chang first and foremost. We walked further into the woods and finally Nick stopped me at a large thicket. I saw Jeremy waved to us and then walked forward down the forest path.

"You can change behind here, we'll wait," Nick said. I nodded nervously and accepted a pat from him on the shoulder before I proceeded in. I was just starting to crouch down when I heard a half scream/half howl. I jumped surprised and turned to look at Nick and Tonio.

"It's just Reese, he's almost Changed," Antonio said and I saw him sit down to wait. I nodded and looked at Nick again who smiled and gestured for me to crouch down and get on with it. I managed a small smile back even through my nervousness and disappeared from their view starting to strip down. It was a warm day luckily, I hated Changing in snow. I folded my clothes like Dennis had taught me and set my shoes on top taking off Dennis' watch. I had taken it from the cabin as a memento of him. I sighed and looked down on it sadly. I would always remember him with this watch. With Dennis I felt like someone, someone important but not so anymore. It was probably hard to feel good about yourself when your crouching butt naked in a bush very close to large and muscular perfect looking men.

I sighed and got down on all four's to concentrate. The fact that my body was pulsing and hair was retracing in and out made it a bit easier. I again worried I would not be able to do this on command. No. I had to focus on the moment now. I took a deep breath and tried to think wolf. Just think wolf. Dennis had told me to just think about my other self, my wolf buried deep inside and waiting. Waiting to protect, waiting to fight and waiting to some instances waiting to kill. I wasn't sure if I could kill anyone but I wanted to be pack so I wanted to try, someday.

"We're right here Noah, you can do this," Antonio said. I nodded, though they couldn't see, and I heard a soft command come from Antonio. He must have been telling Nick what to say or do. I didn't need their encouragement I needed Dennis' but he was gone. Dennis always knew what to say to me to calm me down or to help me with woman or Changing. He was a smart guy. The pangs of missing him grew sharp as I tried to Change but didn't succeed. I needed to focus.

"Noah, think wolf ok kiddo. Feel the wolf and imagine the wolf. Think about running and howling and being with other wolves," Nick said and I nodded. I needed to focus on the wolf. I needed to prove I could do this and prove I was not worthless. Slowly I felt my body changing after 10 minutes of trying it finally started. The hair grew, dark brown like my own hair, and my arms narrowed along with my hands. My fingers shortened and my snout started to grow. I screamed. This was the most painful part where I just wished I could stop and go back but I never could. It had already started and I could not stop it.

I heard words but I could not understand them through my screams and through the pain. Finally I collapsed onto my side panting and whining. I always found being a wolf daunting at first. The smells and sounds and even wondering if I had ever been human. Was I just a wolf with an advanced brain? I lay exhausted for a moment and then pulled myself up to explore. First I tested my paws and I walked forward a bit. I stumbled at first but they worked. I sniffed and smelt forest but I sniffed harder to distinguish individual scents. I finally smelt human, no werewolf but in human form. I also smelt a bird and a flower. Good enough. I scanned the ground to find something there and spotted a small caterpillar.

Finally I stepped from the bush and looked around. Two humans, no, the same werewolves from before, crouched on the ground. I growled not being used to them yet but they didn't move and I felt no fear from them. "It's just us Noah," Nick said slowly so I could understand. I cocked my head to the side and flicked my ears. Nick walked forward slowly with his hand outstretched. I moved my head back and growled in warning but he continued forward. Finally his hand reached my mouth. I sniffed and remembered I should calm down. I saw Antonio behind him ready to intervene if I did anything.

I whined now and then licked Nick's hand. He chuckled and slowly reached to pet my head as Antonio came over. "You need to accept as wolf and human," Antonio explained as he came forward just as slowly as Nick and I felt his hand weave through my course hairs. I whined and then chuffed as they petted me. I didn't necessarily like this part. Suddenly both men stood and backed off. I pawed the ground with my paw then in agitation. The wolf wanted to run not stand here and be treated like a pet.

I heard a growl now and I looked over to see a light coloured blonde wolf, Reese. He sauntered and I could tell he was older than me so I sat as he sniffed around my flank and then prodded me with a chuff. He bit me lightly to tell me to get up. I spun around and growled and he pranced back with a whine and a yip in a come and play gesture. Suddenly he took off running and I was about to follow when Jeremy stepped through. It surprised me he was still human. When Reese saw him stopped immediately in front of him and looked at the ground. Jeremy reached down and petted him behind the ear and Reese moved his head towards the Alpha's touch and then bounded up trying to knock him over.

Jeremy chuckled and lightly pushed him back, "Go run, we will be with you soon," Jeremy said. Reese did a really odd nodding type of gesture and then got off of Jeremy staring off into the woods at a full out run. Jeremy came forward now and I looked to the side curiously at him. I knew who he was and he seemed to have an air about him of authority. Slowly as Nick and Antonio did he moved forward and crouched down reaching for me. I looked at the ground as I saw Reese do. He made a noise of acceptance and I felt his hand in my fur rubbing my head, my neck and my body. Slowly he rubbed the fur around me body and then taking a hold of me he pushed me down and rolled me over so my stomach was exposed. I whined confused but he only shushed me. He then rubbed my stomach and pulled my head up so my neck was exposed to him. When he let go I left my head there.

"Good wolf, I am please Noah," he said. I whined and abruptly got up shaking myself. I heard chuckled and then they told me to go after Reese. Finally. I took off like a shot following Reese's trail. I felt air and forest as I ran my paws hitting the ground and the forest around me was all I needed to make me happy. My worries melted away. I was not worthless as a wolf. As a wolf I was strong and I were I belonged. I liked being a wolf; it was the Changing part I hated.

As I flew over the ground catching the scent of spring in every breath I tracked Reese. I wasn't the best fighter or tracker but I could do it. I sniffed and ran but suddenly his trail ended. I looked up with a chuff and around. Where was he? I ran around the place where his scent ended and learned it had started to loop back. I started to follow it when I was hit from the side. I flew into the ground with a yelp but I did not have time to get up before Reese had me pinned and was nipping at my neck. I growled as we rolled on the ground nipping and biting. Finally I bit his flank and he yelped. I got up and ran and heard him chasing after me. I wished I could laugh as a wolf but the best I could mange was a chuff or an odd half chuff and half growl. Suddenly I was tackled again and our play fighting started all over nipping, biting and growling all in wolf fun.

Suddenly a howl cut through the forest and we both stopped. It was the howl of our Alpha. We both got up then and ran towards it. He was calling us for a reason and as wolves we could not disobey. It was hard to disobey as human as well. I ran a little to the left of Reese and let him stay in front. He was older and my instincts said to obey him. We burst into a clearing where we saw Jeremy sitting and waiting for us. Nick and Antonio were also play fighting off the side. I wanted to join them and was about to charge forward when Jeremy shot out and growled to stop me. I whimpered and backed up landing on my butt as Jeremy growled at Nick and Tonio. They both got up and trotted forward but not with a last nip from Nick. Jeremy surged forward and tackled him giving a low warning growl.

We waited as Nick bared his neck to the Alpha and Jeremy seemed satisfied. He got off of him and padded back to us now. Nick got to his feet and didn't make a sound as he came back. Jeremy looked at us again before turning and taking off. Our wolf instincts said follow so we did letting Antonio and then Nick go before us. I followed after Reese and before I could get a chance to wonder what we were doing. I just knew. We were hunting. I wasn't sure what yet but I would follow and do what I needed to do. Eventually Jeremy and Nick separated from us and took off into the forest. I continued to follow Reese and Antonio. My instincts told me we were going after a deer and Jeremy would attack from the front and surprise her but apparently not because Jeremy and Nick came back minutes later and they both rabbits in their mouths. I guess they did not find a deer.

Antonio looked back at us and growled but not in warning, he wanted us to follow. We took off after him and followed him to a clearing. Quietly we crouched down and watching waiting. We did not move until Tonio did. Finally he crawled closer and then flew into the clearing. We quickly followed as the rabbits scattered. I ran after the closest one which darted into the forest. I chased after and pounced on it ripping into its neck. I then sat on the ground and munched tearing into flesh and getting my snout all bloody. It's always best not to think of this when we are humans. After I was done my snack, it wasn't really enough, I ran back to find the others. They all waited in a clearing. Jeremy was the only one not playing but instead he was scanning. When he saw me he howled and suddenly the rest stopped and joined in. I did too. It felt good to howl. Like screaming as a human.

When we were done I trotted over to the others wanting to play. Nick, however, pushed me from the side and I fell on the ground. He fell on top and me and started licking the blood off my nose and mouth. I whined but he continued giving a low warning growl. I let him. Soon after we all curled up against one another and after Jeremy checked one last time to see if we were all here and safe he dropped off to sleep. We quickly followed. I was curled up between Antonio and Nick. Antonio's head lay on Jeremy back and Reese was curled up near Nick's head. I feel asleep between warm bodies nuzzled against Nick's stomach.

I awoke warm and in comfort to hear birds chirping and heard a slight breeze moving the grass and leaved of the trees. I yawned and looked around and immediately blushed. I was lying in between 4 sculpted guys all muscles and all endowed nicely. Compared to myself I looked pathetic. I looked away quickly blushing. It would not due to be caught staring at their, ah...junk and bodies. I didn't want them to think I was gay. I looked away and down at my own body then. I was a stick figure. It was embarrassing. I was under the weight class for my age and you could almost see my ribs I was so skinny. I was small for my age and always would be. I sighed as I looked beyond the guys around me to the sky and turned to my side a bit to cover myself. It was kind of embarrassing if I compared my stuff to theirs too. Better to not think about it right now. I could lie to everyone all I wanted but I was a virgin. I mean I had had sex kind of before but I'd never been...ok stop those thoughts Noah. They get girls and you don't. They are big and muscular and charming and you aren't. They are important and you're not. I sighed again and heard Nick stir beside me and murmur.

Suddenly Antonio's head came up. He looked around to see who was awake and then winked at me before he went for Nick. He got up and crouched over him before starting to tickle him. I looked away again. What was it with these guys and being alright with being naked around one another? I heard Nick yelled and then come to life fighting his father. Antonio's booming laugh rolled throughout the forest along with Nick's yells. This woke up Reese and Jeremy and soon after we were walking back to the house. I kept my eyes on the ground now not out of fear but out of embarrassment. There was no way I could cover myself and I desperately wished we could change with clothes on and then they would magically appear again.

"Noah, how are you doing? You seem kind of quiet," Nick said and suddenly he was in front of me. Oh God look up Noah. I did my eyes going over his chest and then finally to his neck and eyes. I blushed and bit my lip and he laughed. I looked at him confused now. "Kid, at your age I looked pretty much like you. I was skinny but you'll grow up and get muscles. This afternoon you're having your first training session with dad. He'll be the one training both you and Reese." Nick laughed. I nodded but it didn't make me feel any better.

"Nick," Antonio said. I looked over as Antonio met Nick's eyes and some kind of silent communication went on between them. I looked away. I was too tired to decipher this right now. No one said anything more as we made our way to the bushes grabbed out clothes and then headed inside. We all headed for separate showers. I got under the hot water and worked out what little muscles I had trying to get the tension out of my body. I needed to de-stress a bit or I was sure I would get into more trouble. It doesn't matter what you do Noah you will always be in trouble. You're just a little idiot. It was Simon again. I growled to myself and then squelched the voice. Why would he never go away? Would he always be telling me what I already knew?

I went back into my room now and grabbed some workout clothes. They told me I would be working out so I maybe as well put on sweatpants and a t-shirt now. As I headed for the door I stopped and looked longingly at my bed. I was so tired. I sighed and continued on. I was hungry so I decided to get that need fulfilled first. I made my way down the hallway and the stairs to the kitchen. The smell of cooked food had already filled the area. When I came in I saw eggs, bacon and toast out on plates. Nick grinned and then waved to the plates. I eagerly gathered eggs, bacon and toast and scarffed. Nick laughed but said nothing.

The rest of the pack finally joined us and they ate as well. We hardly spoke. We did not talk much when we were eating because filling our stomachs was much too important to leave to chance. I helped clear after we ate. I kept looking longingly through the ceiling. I really wanted to go to bed.

"Noah, you ready to do some working out?" Antonio asked. He clapped me on the back throwing me off balance. He laughed then and helped balance me. "Reese you're up after Noah," Tonio informed Reese who had been sneaking towards the back door and his own bed. He nodded now and I could tell he was sighing inwardly.

"Well I am off to bed then," Nick grinned wiggling his eyebrows at both of us and headed to the stairs. Jeremy caught his arm as he went and shook his head. I saw Reese sneaking out now. Lucky bastard.

"Nicolas, we need to talk," Jeremy said softly. I went wide eyed looking at nick. God, I hoped he wasn't in trouble with him. It would probably be my fault. Like everything else Noah, as always just go ahead and be yourself. Just screw this up and then the only place you will be able to go is back to Simon or foster care. I guessed there was juvie too. I would do the rest of my time if I could. I knew I had done wrong and I deserved to be punished. Yeah, screw up like always.

"Noah, where did you go?" Tonio asked. I shrugged and looked away starting to go towards the stairs. "Hey, talk to me. If you're tired or not up to it we can do this later. Working out with weight when your tired can be dangerous," he said. I nodded to him. Yes, I was tired but no, I would not say so. Every other pack member could go and go without stopping. They were strong and I would be too. I looked into Antonio's eyes then and lied. He would never know. No, but he will know eventually he'll know. I squished the voice again as Tonio looked me over and then nodded. The conviction in my eyes must have been enough.

"I'm good," I said and gave him a smile. He nodded and putting an arm around me he led me to the basement door. He let me go first and I did flicking on lights as we went. I entered the downstairs hallway and went all the way to the end where I knew the weight room was. Across from it was the training room with punching and kicking bags. I hadn't trained there yet but I knew I would be soon.

"Training room first," Antonio said. I looked back at him confused but I went obediently. "We always warm up first so we'll do some cardio," he instructed. He walked across the room and grabbed two skipping ropes. He then stood apart from me. "Try for 50 passes," he said. I nodded and we began. Very soon I was struggling a bit ad winded not being used to the work out. Antonio was fine and he hadn't even looked as if he had broken into a sweat. Embarrassed I pushed past 50. Tonio lifted an eyebrow but said nothing. By 80 I was done and had stopped. He continued onto 100.

Next he showed me the basics of punching. I knew how to fight but I never really learned techniques. He stood on the other side of the punching bag while he instructed me and soon I was punching as hard as possible. "Good job Noah," he grinned. I flushed and stopped punching wiping sweat from my forehead. He's just that Noah. He doesn't mean it. You're an obligation to him and that's all. He's being ordered to be nice to you. You're so stupid.

"Noah, you keep zooming out and you need to keep focused down here. You could get hurt of worse if you don't," Tonio said gently. I nodded. See, you already screwed up the voice laughed. I growled inwardly. Thank goodness he did not hear me. "Noah, verbal," Antonio reminded in a harder voice.

"Sorry, I'll keep focused," I promised. He nodded then and patted me on the arm. He then moved to a small fridge set against the wall and took out some water. He threw one to me and to my surprise I caught it. He grinned and winked at me before he took the cap off and chugged. I squished my warm feelings that ran through my body. I was not looking for a father figure. Yes, you are but he does not want to be your father Noah. Who would want to be your father? The voice growled. I pretended not to hear and chugged my water. When I had finished this bottle I threw it in the recycling can near the door and followed him to the weight room.

"We'll do a few reps of each to get you used to this with a minimal weight, well minimal weight for a werewolf," he grinned and fixed the sets. I had no idea how much weight he put on. I didn't look. I did some basic weight lifts and was surprised to see I could easily lift them. For one I was proud of myself but the voice in my head soon made me feel stupid. We then did some bench presses.

Antonio spotted me and lifted the weights up for me. I grabbed a hold of them and he let go. God, these were a heavier. I struggled to push them up and Antonio grabbed them from me and set them back on. "Breath," he instructed. I did and he waited until I was ready for the next one. We did a few more of these before he declared it was the last one. "Are you sure you're not tired Noah," he asked before he lifted up the weight again. I nodded. I could last.

He nodded and brought down the weight again. I took a hold of them and he let go. Suddenly there was a loud noise upstairs that broke my concentration and my focus. I was way too exhausted for this. I cried out as the weight set came down on my chest when I could not hold it anymore. Antonio growled and grabbed the weight easily lifting them as I coughed and sat up. They had hit my chest right below my collar bone and winded me. I took deep breaths as Antonio's hand came to my back and he called for Jeremy.

"Noah, you'll be ok," he reassured as I nodded. Jeremy and Nick both appeared a minute later and Antonio explained. I leaned over holding my chest just starting to regain my breath.

"Sit up," Jeremy ordered now and suddenly he was in front of me. I sat up a bit still clutching my chest. He gently removed my arms telling me to breath. He quickly pulled off my shirt and looked. I looked down at well and saw a large red line on my chest. He brought his fingers up and felt the area and I flinched. He had a hold of my shoulder so I could not move away him but he saw the pain it caused me.

"I'm sorry, it seems as if nothing is broken but you will have some swelling and a nasty bruise," he said. I nodded as he instructed Nick to get a few ice packs and some Advil. We walked upstairs then and Nick came back with the Advil. I took them and accepted the cie packs lying on the couch.

"What's going on?" I heard asked at the doorway before anyone could speak. I looked up from my position on the couch holding my icepacks to my chest.

"Noah didn't tell me how tired he was and so he got hurt," Tonio said looking at me. I flushed and looked away. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I was always screwing up. I had only been here a few days and I could not seem to either get comfortable or to stop being a screw up. I continued to stare at the ceiling as Jeremy spoke now.

"Nick, take care of this," Jeremy said. I stiffened now as I heard Nick walk towards me. He looked down on me and for a second my eyes flicked to him. I could not hold the look, though, and quickly looked away. He sighed and crouched down now setting a hand on my arm.

"Noah, look at me," he commanded. It was becoming a familiar command. I brought my gaze to his and cringed. He looked angry. Why couldn't I stop causing drama and being stupid. They take me in and all I can do is act up. I never meant to be like this. I wanted to be good and be a good pack member. I would never achieve this now. "I want you to go to your room and keep icing your chest on and off for 15 minutes. I will be up soon. Think about this," he said. I nodded and accepted his help up.

I didn't look at anyone as I left the room. Reese touched my arm as I passed him and I was grateful. He was a really nice guy. I walked up the stairs and went to my room closing the door quietly. I was angry but not at them, at myself. I thumped down on my bed and cringed at the pain. I cursed myself for that too and then lay back settling the ice on my chest again.

Why couldn't I just stop being me? I wasn't good enough to be here and I knew it. In time, probably very soon, they would see how much of an idiot I was. They would see how I could not possibly be a pack member. I did not belong here. I didn't belong anywhere it seemed. If I had to leave here would I ever find a place I belonged? Did I belong anywhere at all? No, you don't. You don't belong anywhere and you don't deserve to be around anyone or to have anyone be your friend or take care of you. Worthless piece of shit. I could not squish these thoughts, they were much too loud and right now they felt right.

"Noah," I heard a short time later. Nick. I called for him to come in and sat up setting the ice to the side of the bed. He came in. He sighed. He ran a hand through his hair. He sighed again. I looked at him waiting for him to begin but he didn't seem to know how. Finally he walked across room and grabbed my desk chair. He turned it around and sat down in front of me.

"Look, Noah, I have no idea what I am doing ok. I'm not great at this but I'm learning. I am doing my part but you need to do yours and trust us. If you're tired and can't work out tell us. I don't want you hurt buddy. I want you to be healthy and happy. I care about you kid. God, I've only known you for a week but I care about you. Don't do something like that again," he warned.

I looked at him astonished. He cared about me? Why? Why would he care about me at all? I was really confused. I looked at him and he watched me assessing my mood. His eyes reflecting puzzlement as well. "Why are you so confused Noah?" he asked. I didn't answer him for a moment because I did not know how.

"I...," I started to say but stopped. What did I tell him? I was still absorbing what he had said. He cared about me for some odd reason. Someone cared. Are you sure Noah? No one has ever cared before so why now? I shouted at the voice to go away. Even if he was not speaking the truth I wanted to believe it so badly.

"Come on Noah be verbal please, this is important," he said and suddenly he was clasping my hands. I looked at our hands and then at him. He's lying Noah. Don't be stupid and don't fall for it the voice said. I shushed it before going on.

"You care about what happens to me?" I asked. He nodded now still looking confused. "Why?" I asked now. He looked at me studying me again but didn't speak right away. See he can't even find the answer to such a simple question. He doesn't care.

"Because your pack Noah and I promised you I would protect and look after you. Hell you may as well think of as your God Damned father now. Never thought I would say that," he chuckled as he looked at me for a reaction. I hesitated. Ok, he cared because I was pack? He was basically my father now? Wow, maybe he did actually care. Maybe I could stop being afraid and actually relax a little. No one had hit me or called me names; no one had denied me food or made me feel stupid. Maybe, just maybe these guys were good and I wasn't seeing it because I was so afraid of messing up.

"Are we ok Noah? Are you ok?" Nick asked. I nodded now. I think we were ok and I would be in a bit of pain from my mess up but I thought I would be ok too. "Tomorrow we have an appointment with you school. Why don't you get some rest and I'll call you for food, ok?" he asked. I again nodded and then was quick to answer when he gave me a look. Verbal. I had to remember to be verbal.

"Ok," I answered. He grinned and then stood. Reaching over he tousled my hair and then went to put my desk chair back. He stopped at the door, though. I brought my attention back to him wondering what he forgot.

"Oh, by the way if I ever catch you lying again I'm going to turn into a really mean person Noah. Someone you don't want to mess with so never, ever lie again," he warned. My gut clenched and I nodded. I had to remember that one too.

"I won't Nick," I promised he nodded now but he didn't go. I held my breath waited for him to speak.

"Your punishment to helping Reese with extra chores and being grounded for two weeks, let it be a lesson," he said. I told him it would be and he finally left. I fell back on the bed wincing and grabbed for the ice pack. Would I ever get used to being in the pack and living her? My gut told me it would be a very long time.


	6. Ch 6  Failure

I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.

This is a collaborative project by **SheWolf13** and **SuperNatural1985**. The story is based on what we have read about Noah, in _Frostbitten_ and _Hidden_, and is a second attempt at the original story _**About Noah**_ originally published on SuperNatural1985's profile.

Ch 6 Failure

"Noah. Noah, come on. We're going to be late," I heard above me as I turned and pulled the covers over me. Someone sighed and then I felt the covers fly off me as I was grabbed by my ankles by very cold hands. I opened my eyes and looked down just in time to see Nick tug on my ankles and I went tumbling off the bed towards him. Nick must not have thought I would be so light because he fell on his ass as I fell on top of him. I quickly tried to get off him but he just grabbed me and pulled me to him as he started tickling my sides. We lay on the floor together as I tried to escape Nick's onslaught without success.

"Nick…I thought…we…late," I tried to say as he continued to tickle me. Only when he heard the word 'late' did he finally stop.

"Right. Come on, then. Get dressed," he said, grinning at me as he left the room. I dressed as quickly as possible, desperately trying not to think about the ordeal I was about to go through. School, my worst nightmare. The one place I had absolutely no doubt that I was going to be a screw up. While I was with the Pack, it was easy to forget what a screw up I was. Even after everything that happened yesterday, they forgave me, I was still grounded of course, but they didn't stay angry with me. My mother would have held such a weakness over my head for days; then again, she was always holding my weaknesses and stupidity against me. But school always made me feel stupid and like a screw up, no matter what I did.

Once I was dressed, I went downstairs and scarfed down breakfast with only Nick for company. Antonio and Reese had already left for work. Before I knew it, we were flying out the garage door and getting into the car. I tried to keep my nerves in check to no avail. I just knew this was going to go badly. If not today, then tomorrow, or the day after, or the day after that. It didn't matter. I was going to screw this up sooner or later.

It took us about twenty minutes to get to the school and I felt my nervousness rise as I took my first look at the house of torments, my house of torments. It was a posh private school, probably purposefully made for the high elite social class. How could Nick think that I would fit in here? I wasn't part of this elite class, even if I did carry the Sorrentino name. I would always be an Albright or Stillwell. It didn't matter either way, I was a failure and no amount of name changing would change that.

Nick led me out of the car, through the front doors and down the school's hallways that were lined with lockers. As we neared the headmaster's office, I had to try harder to keep my fear under control. Something I didn't do very well because just outside the office, Nick pulled me to a stop and looked me over with a hand on my shoulder.

"Noah, why are you so scared?" he asked softly. I knew I had to be truthful, especially after everything that had happened yesterday, but I didn't want him to think I was a coward. I wasn't scared of school but what I would do in it. Even if the Pack knew about my F.A.E., that didn't mean that they expected me to be bad at school. What if I disappointed them? I was pretty sure they wouldn't kick me out now but I didn't want to disappoint the men that had taken me in, fed and clothed me. I just couldn't. They wanted me here and they cared for me, or so Nick said, so I was determined to prove to them that I was not a burden. But how was I supposed to do that here?

"I'm just…I'm not very good at school," I whispered, averting my gaze, deciding to go with the truth. If there was one thing the Sorrentinos seemed to value, it was honesty. Still, I'm not sure if it was the right thing to do. I glanced up at Nick to see his reaction but I found his face blank. He squeezed my shoulder lightly before speaking.

"You don't need to worry about that, kiddo. We know you have, um, difficulties but we will help you with everything we can, okay? You just have to trust us, and remember we've changed your year of birth, okay?" he said and I just nodded before remembering another Sorrentino virtue. Verbalism.

"Okay," I said softly, keeping my eyes on the wall beside Nick. I'd almost forgotten about that. I had been pushed back a year. Well, at least I'd have a head start on some of the subjects. Though, I had never really gotten the hang of studying. I got frustrated when I couldn't remember what I'd just read less than a minute ago and then I'd get angry with myself. Then there was the fact that this school was made for the elite, meaning its curriculum was most likely above average. Great, just great. I was so fucking screwed.

Nick knocked on the office door and strode in without waiting for an answer. The guy was just so full of confidence that I wondered if sometimes it made he seem arrogant. The thought vanished as I caught sight of the secretary behind the front desk. She was practically drooling as she stared Nick up and down. I bet Nick could get away with anything as long as he had women for company, or gay men. I knew I would never be like Nick or Tonio or Reese. I would never have their confidence or good looks to allow me to do anything worthy in life or get the hot girls.

Nick walked over to the front desk, leaning over it, and asked for the headmaster, flashing the secretary his trademark smile. She didn't seem to be capable of reacting as she stared at Nick as if she couldn't believe he was real. Before she even had time to recover though, the door to our right opened and a 40-something year old, bored looking man popped his head out and called us in. Nick shot the secretary one last smile before following the man through the door. I caught her look of loss as she watched Nick leave just as I trailed behind him through the door. I wonder if I would ever be able to get girls to look at me like that. I mean, I may not have the good looks but maybe with my training I could get a bit of muscle going. Don't count on it, Noah.

We walked into the expensively furnished office that looked like it had been furnished by the Vatican. It even had a fireplace. The man, Headmaster Collins, sat down behind the mahogany desk and gestured for us to take a seat in the comfortable-looking armchairs before him.

I let Nick do all the talking as he exchanged pleasantries with the headmaster before moving on to business. I didn't really want to say anything in case I screwed it up. Besides, my insides felt like they were turning into jelly and I didn't trust myself to speak without throwing up. I knew Nick could smell my nervousness but I just couldn't get it under control. I had F.A.E., I was a screw up, a failure. Could the Pack not see that? They knew about my problems but they still wanted me to go through this hell?

I clenched the armrests as the Headmaster looked over my grades, my fake grades. They would soon figure it out though. There was no way that I'd be able to pass all my subjects, I just couldn't. I can only concentrate for a short span of time and I'm easily distracted which makes me angry and upset. I found myself often wishing that my parents hadn't been such idiots but I knew there was nothing I could do to change what I am.

"Well, Noah, it seems like everything is in perfect order," Headmaster Collins said. I just nodded, not knowing if he expected an answer. "However, I would like you to try to get your grades up. I'm sure we can help you improve," he said with a smile and I just nodded, feeling sicker than when I had first sat down. They wanted me to get more than just passes? Oh God.

"Excuse him but he's a bit shy," Nick said and shot me a look that said verbal. But I didn't dare open my mouth, knowing that it was quite likely that something other than words was going to come out.

"That's quite alright, Mr Sorrentino," Collins said and it took me a moment to realize that he meant Nick. Despite my tension, I couldn't imagine someone calling Nick 'mister'. It was more fitting of his father but not him. Though, I imagine at work he's called that too and 'sir'. I couldn't help the twitch in my lips at the thought of that.

We then got up and left the office as the headmaster gave us a tour of the school, complete with a fully detailed history. He gave names and dates but I wasn't even listening and I doubted I would have been able to retain all the information he was throwing my way. The one time the headmaster asked me something, Nick was forced to save me. I was just so out of it, since I was still trying to get my tension under control without success. He shot me a warning look and I tried to pay attention after that but it was useless. The tension streaming through me was making it very difficult to concentrate on the conversation. Thank goodness that I had Changed yesterday or the anxiety would have been forcing the wolf out and that would have definitely have been a disaster.

"Now, you will be starting tomorrow, Noah," I heard as we reached the front doors. I looked up at the headmaster and nodded. He studied me for a moment with a look I knew well. He was trying to figure out what was wrong with me. He'll figure it out soon, I guess. I'm just surprised it took him this long to figure out that _something_ was wrong with me. Nick cleared his throat then and the headmaster brought his attention back to him. He handed Nick some of the papers he'd been carrying around with him and then left with quick goodbye as if eager to get going.

I mentally cringed as I saw the change in his attitude towards us. He knew something was wrong with me and the Sorrentinos had obviously not told him about my learning disabilities. I was used to people treating me differently because of my problems but that didn't mean it affected me any less. Back home, before going to juvie, the kids at school had enjoyed picking on me, calling me 'retard' and 'stupid' among other things. Maybe that's what led me to robbing gas stations, maybe I'd been trying to prove I wasn't what they thought I was. It didn't matter though. I had only ended up getting myself into trouble and proving to myself that I was just as stupid as everyone had always thought I was.

I suddenly felt an arm go around my shoulders as Nick's scent surrounded me. I looked up to see him giving me an encouraging smile. "Relax, kid. The worst is over," he said, channelling his encouragement from his smile as he led me to the car. His words, however, did nothing to help alleviate the tension and anxiety. The worst was not over, it was yet to come. Tomorrow. He thought I had been nervous about the meeting. No, I'd been scared about screwing it up, and I had. The headmaster already had me pegged as not alright in the head. It was all going to go down hill from here.

We made the trip home in silence. Nick was still trying to get used to his role as mentor and he didn't seem to be able to find the words to alleviate my tension and anxiety but it was slowly disappearing. I knew it would reappear soon doubling in size. I couldn't go to school, I just couldn't. I'd fail and I'd disappoint Nick and Antonio and my Alpha. And school was just going to be torture anyway. The kids were bound to notice sooner or later that something was up with me and the teachers as well. That and the fact that I wouldn't fit in at the posh private school would soon make me the loneliest and most tortured kid at school.

"Noah, buddy, what's wrong? What are you worried about?" Nick asked suddenly. He sounded worried but I didn't look at him to verify it and continued to gaze out the window. I needed to answer him though. He'd proven he was a good man and I didn't want to disappoint him. I couldn't go to school, no way, or I would disappoint him.

"Is there, um, anyway to not go to school? I mean, like, can I be homeschooled or something?" I asked as the idea suddenly popped into my head. Yes, homeschooling. That would be much better. I'd work better with the teacher solely focused on me thus being able to help me more. And I wouldn't have to worry about comparing my grades to the people around me. I turned to look at Nick and watch his reaction. He was frowning slightly at the road.

Without warning, he pulled the car off the road and parked on the side. The car that had been behind us honked as he passed us but Nick ignored him and turned his attention to me. I couldn't read his expression but I knew he was trying to figure me out.

"Why would you want to be homeschooled?" he asked softly, his gaze never leaving my face. I kept my eyes averted from his but still watching him in case I angered him. I knew he wouldn't hurt me if I did but old habits die hard. When my mother had gotten angry, I had always had to be on the look out for flying objects or furious slaps. "Is it because you think you're not good at school?" I nodded since it was partly true. It was because of that and everything that that entailed that I wanted to be homeschooled. Nick sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair before focusing on my again. "Kid, nobody is good at school. I sure as hell wasn't. In fact, I sucked. But my grandfather always put me through hell if I didn't study and do well at school, so I always tried at least." He paused a moment, thinking, before continuing. "We want you to try, Noah. We know you might have difficulties but that's why we're here; to help you with everything you may need, that includes school, problems with Pack brothers, girls, work, anything and everything, okay? All you have to do is ask."

"Okay," I said, remembering for once that I had to be verbal. I suddenly felt a little warm inside and I knew it was because of his words. I wasn't used to people encouraging me and wanting to help me. Dennis had been the only one, but now it seemed that these guys did as well. Nick seemed satisfied with my answer and the decrease in my tension and anxiety levels and started driving us back to the house.

When we got home, Nick asked me to help him with lunch and I happily obliged. Now cooking was something I could do. I'd had no other choice growing up but to learn how to feed myself. My mother had rarely bothered to make meals when we'd had food and when she had it was barely edible. As we sat down to eat, Nick complemented me on my cooking, making me blush which seemed to encourage him to continue a steady stream of complements and encouragement throughout the meal. Antonio and Reese didn't join us because they were both still at work.

After lunch, I helped Nick clean up and then went up to my bedroom. I opened the door and walked in, taking a look around. From the amount of clothes and personal objects strewn across the room, you'd think I'd been living here for weeks instead of just a few days. I'm not sure if it was necessary for me to keep it cleaned though. On my way here I'd caught a glimpse of Nick's room to see it much like my own, if not worse. Still, I had nothing better to do and it would distract me from my growing anxiety about tomorrow's ordeal. I was almost done when I heard a knock on the door and Reese came in. I hadn't even heard him come home.

"Hey, mate," he greeted, his Aussie accent on full display, "you up for a game of Halo?" He grinned at me expectantly and I returned it, nodding. I followed him to the games room where I found all the video consoles known to mankind and entire shelves filled with games. Reese strode in and grabbed a wireless controller as he turned one of the consoles on. He grabbed a bean bag from the corner of the room and gestured for me to do the same. I did as he said mostly because I wanted to not because he said so. Although, had he ordered it I would have done it without complaint. He was my older Pack brother after all and I understood, as did my wolf, that we had to obey and respect him. As I sat down on a bean bag beside Reese, he handed me another wireless controller while he started up the game. "You have no idea how glad I am to have someone closer to my age around here. Playing with Nick just isn't the same," he chuckled and I smiled at him.

I have no idea how long we'd been playing for when Nick appeared at the door. I didn't notice him at first since as I was too concentrated on beating Reese. It was no use though. Reese had obviously had many hours of practice in his pocket. "Damn," I growled as he beat me once again.

"Better luck next time," Reese said with a smile and I smiled back. We'd been laughing and joking for the entire time we'd been playing and I knew he was a good person, just like the Sorrentinos. No wonder they took him in as well. One can only imagine what they were thinking to have taken me in. Still, it's nice to know that there was someone in this house that might not feel the obligation to be nice to me. Reese was another stray, per se, so I guess we were in this together.

"Noah," Nick called from the doorway and I looked over at him to see him beckon to me. I got up and followed him out of the room. "Jeremy's here and he would like to talk to you about something, okay?" I nodded as I kept walking beside him but my anxiety levels rose like a tidal wave. Why did Jeremy want to talk to me? Oh shit, what had I done? What haven't you done, you mean, Simon's voice said. I mentally cringed. Had my weakness at school today convinced Nick that I wasn't worth it? That he would rather let someone else take care of me? He said he wanted me here, didn't he? That I may as well start calling him father. Did he regret it already? "Noah, kiddo," Nick said softly as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "It's nothing bad, I promise," he said reassuringly, already seeming to know my weak points and how to make me feel better. I calmed down a bit at his words but not entirely. I still had no idea why Jeremy would want to talk to me about something that Antonio and Nick couldn't.

Nick led me to his study, letting go of my shoulders as we reached the door. Nick walked in without knocking and I followed him in, sitting on the couch beside him while Antonio sat behind the desk and Jeremy stood before us. I kept my hands on my lap but I couldn't stop fidgeting as I stared at the floor by my feet.

"Noah, look at me, please," Jeremy instructed, I lifted my gaze to his and looked away almost immediately, keeping my eyes somewhere between his shoulders and head. "I would like to know if you have ever been treated for your F.A.E.," he said. I met his eyes with confusion clearly etched on my face. It could be treated? Since when? I shook my head and then said 'no' when I remembered I had to be verbal. Jeremy nodded as if he'd expected this. "Technically, it can not be treated but there are certain medications that can help you to concentrate better and to lower your extreme anxiety and nervousness you have at times," he said, his gaze never leaving my face and his expression giving away nothing.

They wanted to put me on meds? Barely a week here and they were already trying to fix me. No, not fix me, help me. Still, they wanted to put on meds. Meds! As if I was sick. But you are sick, Noah. No. I will not let them think that it's that bad, it isn't. I can live without meds, I'm sure.

"Do I, um, have to take them?" I asked softly, dropping my eyes to the floor. Silence filled the room as I waited for an answer.

"They will help you, Noah," Jeremy said and I saw his shoes approach me. He crouched and lifted my chin so he could look into my eyes. "They will help you get on with your life without your disabilities troubling you greatly. They will not disappear, like I said, there is no cure. However, taking these medications will not mean that you don't have to pull your weight. They will help you concentrate and help keep your behaviour in check but that won't be enough. You will have to study hard for school and we'll be teaching you to keep your emotions under control so you do not force a Change at the wrong times." I nodded in his hand and he let me go, getting back up.

I did not want to take the pills or meds or whatever, but I don't think I have a choice. But it couldn't be that bad, right? People took meds all the time, but this was just embarrassing. Well, only if people found out, but everyone in the pack would know. I inwardly groaned. So everyone in the pack would know of my weaknesses. Just great. All I needed now was for everyone at school to find out about the meds I would be taking. My anxiety rose again but I fought to keep it down. I did not want Jeremy to know how much I hated school and why. I would not be telling my Alpha that, even though I knew he was the one that was supposed to protect us. I was still new to this whole being pack thing so I can be excused if I didn't lay my life in his hands just yet. Although it pretty much was already.

Jeremy then explained to me that he had been doing a lot of research since they got back and how he had found some meds that he thought were the most suitable. He told me about the meds I'd be taking and what they were meant to do exactly but I understood less than half of what he told me. He then said that Nick would be the one in charge of administering them until I got used to it and could do it myself. However, since I would be the first pack werewolf to be on meds, they didn't know what dosage I needed or exactly which meds would be the most adequate for me, so they'd be testing out a few before settling for one or two. Great, now I felt like a guinea pig. I just had to remind myself that they were trying to help me, that this was for the best, I think.

Eventually, they let me go and I went back to the games room to finish playing with Reese. He smiled at me as I entered and immediately noticed my mood change. He studied me for a moment before asking if I wanted to talk about it, whatever it was. I shook my head, although I would have liked to have been able to talk to someone about it but I didn't want Reese to know. However, he'd probably be finding out soon, I think.

Some time later, Nick called us to dinner and I reluctantly went to the dinning room, following Reese. While I'd been playing I had been able to distract myself from everything else and as I ate I concentrated completely on the food. But once I was up in my bedroom after helping Reese clean up, the anxiety, tension and fear returned full force. Tomorrow I would be going to the torture house and Nick would be coming up soon to give me my meds. God, maybe I should have tried to convince Jeremy about being homeschooled. I doubt he would have let me though. No, I needed to get through this. I would try my best, like Nick had said, but I'm not sure if it would be enough. Maybe the meds could help, but even they couldn't prevent people from knowing something was wrong with me. No matter how hard I tried to hide it, people eventually discovered that I was different and that's when hell began.

A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts. I sat up on the bed just in time to see Nick come in. He walked over to me and sat beside me on the bed, his smile never leaving his face. He seemed to be in a good mood. Perhaps because I hadn't screwed up today, at least not badly. The meeting hadn't gone as bad as I'd thought but I knew that that would change tomorrow.

"Here you go," he said as he handed me two white pills. I took them and the glass of water from Nick with shaking hands. I quickly swallowed them, trying not to think about it too much. Once I'd gulped them down, Nick clapped me on the back, looking at me proudly as he said, "I'm proud, kid. And don't worry about school, okay? Everything's going to be alright." I blushed as I saw that he did indeed look proud and it filled me with warmth. Nick clapped one more time on the back before leaving. I lay back down on the bed and prayed for the pills to work or tomorrow was going to be one hell of a day.


	7. Ch 7 Control

I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.

This is a collaborative project by **SheWolf13** and **SuperNatural1985**. The story is based on what we have read about Noah, in _Frostbitten_ and _Hidden_, and is a second attempt at the original story _**About Noah**_ originally published on SuperNatural1985's profile.

Ch 7 Control

I stood in front of the mirror in my room and smoothed the tie from my uniform. I wasn't really fond of dress up clothes. The white starched dress shirt was complimented by navy blue pants and a blazer bearing the school crest. The crest was interesting and reminded me of a Hogwarts crest from the book Logan showed me he was reading in Alaska.

"Noah, breakfast. Last call," Nick yelled from the bottom of the stairs. I sighed and rubbed a hand through my hair distractedly. I did not want to do this. School might not be a big deal to most people, but the concept terrified me. I was scared I would screw up. I was also nervous about the new pills I was taking for my F.A.E and how they would affect me.

"Noah, Nick has been calling you," I heard from the doorway. I turned to see Antonio's unimpressed face. Shit. I nodded and grabbed my bag, going to the door. He lost the look and smiled at me, reaching over to ruffle my hair. I kept my irritation away at having to do my hair again. I knew I was just nervous about school and everything and there was no reason to take it out on Antonio. Plus, he would not appreciate it.

"Sorry, I was just getting ready," I said. He nodded and gestured for me to go ahead of him, adjusting his own tie. I took a deep breath and obeyed, clicking off my bedroom light and going ahead of the bigger wolf to the breakfast. I set my bag down at the bottom of the stairs and proceeded in socked feet to the kitchen.

When I opened the door I saw Reese and Nick already seated to a breakfast of toast, bacon and eggs. Nick smiled at me and waved me forward to sit. I walked across the marble floor slowly and sat down, not sure how much I would actually be able to eat. I felt like I was going to throw up. "Juice or coffee?" Reese asked. I looked up and noticed he was at the fridge. I was so distracted I didn't notice he had moved. God, get it together, Noah. Can't you even pay attention for 2 seconds? I squished Simon's unhelpful voice and nodded.

"Which one?" Reese laughed. Oh, right. Red heated my face when I realized I forgot to actually answer him.

"Ah, juice please. Apple juice if we have it," I said. He nodded and brought out two pictures of juice from the fridge. One orange and one apple. I nodded my thanks and poured myself a glass, gulping the cool liquid as soon as I was done. I might not be hungry but I was as thirsty as if I hadn't drunk anything in days.

"Noah, eat up. You'll need the energy for today and to keep control," Nick said. I nodded and started munching on the food. I looked at my plate as I ate, trying not to let them know how nervous I was. It was rolling off me, though, so I am sure they knew. God, Noah, get a grip. I looked over at Antonio and saw him snap the morning paper open and sip coffee.

"So how'd you sleep last night?" Nick asked. I stiffened. My night was filled with a lot of bad dreams. For some reason my mind kept replaying all the bad days I had had at school back in Alaska. My mind especially favoured an elementary school memory where I went to a new school for the first time and the kids ostracized me. My clothes were too small or too big and out of fashion. I blushed and stammered too much and I couldn't get the answer right. The kids picked up on my weakness right away and used it against me.

"Fine," I said without thinking. I didn't want to have to tell them about the horrible times I had had when my mother was working 24/7 and seemed to forget I existed. I might not have been abused but I was definitely neglected. It was my own fault, though. I gave my mom a hard time and never behaved or so she said. I guess asking her to cook every once in a while or help with my homework was being bad. Maybe that was why I had such a hard time asking for help.

I looked up then in time to see Antonio nod at Nick and then gesture to me, trying to be inconspicuous. I blushed. Yet again. And looked down at my plate again. "Do you want to talk about it?" Nick asked now and I saw his hand come out. I flinched as he brushed my hand. Being with the mutts and in those horrible homes before that made me weary of being touched sometimes. Often their touches were not for comfort.

"No, not really," I murmured. He gave me a once over but left the lie and my flinching alone. I was very thankful for that. No one said a word for a few moments. Again, I was aware I might be screwing this up. I was like this in every home I had been in before, though. I was on edge, trying to be good and trying not to get kicked out. I tried. I really did but for some reason it never seemed like it. I mentally kicked myself again for sinking into my thoughts and realized someone was speaking to me.

"If you want, I can pretend to be 18 again and come with you. No one will bother you then," Reese grinned. I smiled when I caught onto his meaning. Yes. Reese was the other stray and we were in this together. I appreciated him trying to make me feel better. He didn't even have an obligation to me, yet he was being so nice. I liked Reese. I realized I was starting to trust him as well. Maybe we would become close if I was going to be staying here.

"I wish," I scoffed. He smiled all the more and popped more bacon in his mouth. I chuckled, losing a bit of my nervousness and eating a bit more. I saw Reese wink at Nick out of the corner of my eye but I ignored them. I knew they were probably conspiring to make me feel better. I didn't care. It was working. Kind of. And it made me feel good to know that they cared enough to even try. Maybe I wasn't screwing this up as much as I thought at first.

"Alright, we should go," Nick said. I nodded and started to get up but then noticed the two white pills he pushed towards me. I froze and blushed, feeling embarrassed. I glanced at Reese. He saw them but he looked away, saying nothing. He must have seen my reaction. I took them quickly so no more attention would be drawn to this source of embarrassment. I then dumped my dishes in the dishwasher and went to grab my shoes, bag and coat.

I waited by the door until Nick came along with Reese and Antonio. Apparently we were all riding together today. Antonio ginned at me encouragingly as we walked out. I tried to grin back but I think it came out more like a grimace. I got into Antonio's Mercedes, sitting with Reese in the back and fidgeting with my bag as we drove. Nick turned the station to some kind of news radio, but I tuned out as the landscape went past.

Finally we pulled into the gates of the school. Antonio leaned over and entered the special gate code and we drove through. This school was much too posh for my liking. As we drove down the driveway, my nervousness and tension came back three fold. Weren't the pills supposed to help with this? Maybe it was the wrong dose or something. Come on, Noah, get a grip. You have to do this. No choice. I never had any choices it seemed. No. That wasn't true. In Alaska they said I was no choir boy and they were right. I had chosen to live a bad life and in doing so I could tell them who the best drug dealers were in town, though I rarely did them, and who the best person to go to for weapons was. This skill landed me with the mutts where I learned a lesson so deep it would scar me. It had scarred me. I would never get into this life again. It cost too much and for once, I didn't want to disappoint the people in my life. That is since Dennis. I had never wanted to disappoint Dennis either.

"Good luck," Nick said as we pulled up to the stone steps of the school. I took a second to wonder why they weren't made of gold but I shook my head to bring myself back to the moment. If only I had another pack brother to go with me. I needed another younger or older guy around, I figured. Or even a sister, but that would not be happening. Female werewolves were much too rare. "You'll do fine," he said. I glanced at Nick and then Tonio and Reese who both nodded. I nodded as well and, taking a deep breath, I got out to face this latest nightmare.

I walked slowly up the steps of the school, pulling out the map I had and the schedule of my classes. I had history first. I remembered the tour from yesterday and where my locker was and I went there first. I stuffed my packed lunches inside and some books and lightened my load. The school was nice enough to provide food, but I needed extra so we always brought extra food with us.

I locked my locker now and turned to go and find my classroom. To my surprise no one bothered me. I often felt as if I had a neon sign hanging over my head telling the world about my weaknesses. I shook off this thought, though, as I stepped into the classroom. I avoided going to the front so I could avoid introductions and went straight to the back corner. I always sat in the back of the classroom. It never helped me pay attention but it made sure no one was at my back. I think it must have been a werewolf thing.

I pulled out my new laptop and smiled to myself. This was the first computer I had ever owned and I loved it. I had always wanted one of my own and when Nick and I went to pick it out, he made sure I got the best and the most expensive. I was planning on being very careful with it. I set up my work station and checked the internet as students came in. I didn't want to catch their eyes. My wolf was close with my anxiety and I didn't want them to think of me as a freak right away.

I waited until the bell rang and then looked up to see the teacher writing something on the board. I was determined to succeed at this. I opened my writing program and got into a paying attention mode. The teacher wrote out some dates which I immediately took down. I again squished my nervousness and anxiety down. Come on, Noah. No one has even said a word to you. Calm down. You can't risk a change. You can't risk screwing up. "Mr. Sorrentino," the teacher said right off. Damn. So much for remaining inconspicuous.

"Here," I said probably a bit too lowly, but he heard me. He looked me over, judging immediately. I blushed but obeyed when he gestured for me to stand. I did. Calm down, Noah. Calm down. My anxiety seemed to be raging out of control. The medicine was not helping me in the least it seemed.

"We have a new student joining us today. Noah Sorrentino. Why don't you tell us about yourself," he said. Oh, God. Why did teachers put new kids through this torture? It was totally unfair. I hated talking about myself, especially on the spot like this. Ugh. Ok, Noah, you can do this. Just lie or something. I took a deep breath then and started.

"Ok. Well, I'm Noah and I'm from Alaska. I just moved here and...ah," I said, not quite knowing what to say now. Good going, Noah. You kind of blew it right off. I reddened again and looked around, biting my lip and hoping I didn't look like too much of an idiot.

"Are you related to the Sorrentinos at Sorrentinos and Sons?" a guy near me asked. I nodded and he grinned. "Cool. I'm Caleb Dalton. My dad works for your family," he said. I was taken aback slightly by this. This guy looked cool and confident and he was talking to me? What do I do? Well, Noah, you could play it cool and not be an idiot for once. Jeez. I pushed the anxiety back down again and smiled, trying to channel Nick's confidence.

"Yeah, Antonio and Nicholas Sorrentino are my uncles," I said. He nodded and held out a hand. We shook and then, slightly embarrassed by the attention, I sat back down. The teacher nodded and then started the lesson. The feeling of elation at actually accomplishing something good and being normal for once carried me throughout the class and morning. Caleb offered to show me to my classroom and even invited me to sit with him and his friends at lunch. I was so happy at my success I forgot my anxiety for a bit and focused on making friends. It had always been hard for me to make friends and suddenly I was.

As I sat and laughed with the guys over lunch, Simon's voice thundered through my head. You're going to screw this up, Noah. This is just an illusion. They want something from you. It's because you're carrying the Sorrentino name. Not because you're you. Who would like you for you? It was much easier to kill the voice in my head as I continued to chat with the guys. My inner voice was wrong. I was not screwing this up and I wouldn't.

I slowly learned over lunch that not only had I been selected by someone to be friends but I had been selected by the cool kids to be friends. Caleb and his friends ruled the school and when some hot girls came over to speak to us Caleb, introduced me. Anna, one of the girls, smiled at me and reached out to cover my hand with hers. My heart raged then and I had to take a deep breath. God, she smelled good. That was another thing about being a werewolf. My sense of smell, especially with women, was a lot more heightened. Control, Noah. Control. Make them proud.

I took another deep breath but realized it wasn't working. My control was slipping. Abruptly I got up and excused myself going to the washroom. I splashed cold water on my face and took more gulps of air. The medicine was not working. I would need to tell them that. Should I call for a pick up or try and just deal with it? I needed to prove myself to them. I needed them to know I was not a weakling. And that I could handle it. I pushed all my feelings aside and squished Simon's voice again before heading out.

I heaved my bag over my shoulder again and, seeing the time, I decided to skip going back to lunch and just head to my next classroom. I had taken the extra food I had brought into the washroom and ate it, hoping it would help my control. So far it took the edge off but nothing more. I noticed as I walked I had gotten lost and turned to go backtrack and heard a locker clanging and a yell. I squinted down the hallway—my eyesight had not totally kicked in yet—and almost growled.

Caleb was holding a kid up against the locker, sneering at him. Oh, God. The people he had introduced me to were surrounding him and making fun of him. I had a choice to make. I could ignore this and be happy with the new friends I made. I had never made friends with people like this before. Or I could intervene. I chewed this thought over for a moment and then slowly I turned from them and headed towards what I hoped was another way to get to class.

I had only taken a few steps when I faltered and stopped. No. I could not just walk away from someone being hurt. My werewolf instinct told me to protect those smaller and weaker than me. I was quite small, so the guy was bigger than me but he wasn't as strong. I quickly walked up to them and, taking a deep breath, I shattered what I had built here today.

"Stop," I demanded. Caleb turned to look at me and smiled, not knowing I was upset about this. He gestured for me to come closer. I did, but it wasn't for what he wanted. "I said stop," I growled and grabbed Caleb's shoulder, hauling him back. I tried to be gentle, knowing he was so much weaker than me, but I was angry and my control had already been slipping.

"Hey," he cried and, letting go of the guy he was holding, he turned to me and pushed me. I reacted and growled lowly, pushing him back. No. Noah, get control. That was Nick's voice which was weird. Why was Nick in my head? I stepped back, listening to the inner voice and not giving him a chance to hit me. "Noah, don't tell me you're a freak like him. I'm just teaching him a lesson," he smiled maliciously. I shivered. That smile accompanied everyone who had ever beat the crap out of me, including the mutts.

"Leave him alone, Caleb. It's not cool to pick on people," I said. I felt like a dork immediately for that. I sounded like a parent and I hoped it didn't come off like that but I guessed it did. He took a step forward and I stepped back. I wanted to step forward. I wanted to fight but I knew I couldn't. I knew I had to show them I could do this.

"It looks like we have another freak show. I guess I was wrong about you," Caleb said, looking me over now with a judging eyes. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I guess I was wrong about you too," I said, surprising myself. I had never stood up like this to someone who wasn't the mutts. He glared at me and I suddenly let my wolf out, losing control. It had been slipping and I was surprised I had kept him in this long. I growled then and he backed up, hitting the kid and the locker. He turned and pushed the kid into the locker and then took off, shooting a glare my way. I took a deep breath and looked away from the kid being bullied.

"Thanks," I heard in front of me. I nodded and inched the bridge of my nose. Good going, Noah, you lost control. They will think you're a freak now. The pack will know you're a freak now. Shut up, Simon, I yelled in my head. I rubbed my eyes and then looked at the guy.

"No problem," I said, pulling my bag up over my shoulder and studying him as he studied me. "I'm Noah Sorrentino. I'm new," I said, surprising myself with my courage. Usually I shied away from strangers. Both as a wolf and a human I wasn't very fond of them. I wasn't like Clay who was downright ignorant to them but I still wasn't fond.

"Rory Blackwood," he grinned. I nodded and I shook his hand. "I guess those guys knew you," he said and I nodded. I took my hand from him and rubbed my hair, wishing it was the end of the day. I needed to get out of this school. I needed to regain control. These stupid pills were not helping me at all.

"Yeah," I answered, "I made friends with them but I guess they're not who I thought they were," I said and he nodded and scowled. The bell rang throughout the hallways as we stood talking.

"I've known Caleb and his friends since elementary school. They've been bullies for as long as I could remember," Rory said. I nodded as we walked to class and discovered he was in most of my classes. I just hadn't seen him before. We chatted until we got to class about anything and everything and at the end of the day we both waited by the school gates finally finding our footing with one another.

"No way. I can't believe you guys have the new Halo. It must be awesome," Rory said. I nodded and grinned. I tapped my legs against the marble sign bearing the school name that we sat on as we talked and waited. He just wants something from you, Noah. He doesn't actually want to be your friend. Who would want to be friends with you? I growled inwardly at my inner voice that sounded too much like my dreaded stepfather to shut him up. He was getting beyond tiring.

"Noah," I heard called and looked up to see Nick. I nodded at him and turned to my new...friend. It felt good to say that. To actually have a friend who seemed nice. I didn't know him well enough to say he didn't want anything from me, but we were off to a good start.

"I've got to go but I'll see you tomorrow. Maybe we can get together and have a game of Halo," I said. Rory immediately smiled. I grinned too as I hopped off the marble sign and made my way to Nick. I had done it. I was impressed with myself. I had actually done the impossible and made it through school without too much happening.

"Hey, do you have Facebook?" Rory called as I walked away. I turned back to him and shook my head. His face fell for a moment but he quickly recovered himself. Maybe we would exchange phone numbers soon so we could text.

"No, I don't have time for that shit. See ya," I said and turned back to the Mercedes. I had a lot of people looking for me so I wasn't on Facebook or other social media things that would make it easier for them to find me.

I walked to Nick and smiled. He looked at me and broke out into a grin as well, seeing how happy I was. I got into the back and said hi to Reese and Antonio and then told them about my day as we drove home. I asked them if they thought I had done the right thing with Caleb and they reaffirmed that I had.

"How did you find the pills?" Nick asked, turning to look at me. Awn, shit. I looked away. Get a grip, Noah. Don't act like a freak. Don't mess this up again. God, Noah, get control.

"I don't think they worked," I began. Again, I looked at Reese, blushing, but he was ignoring this part of our conversation and watching the scenery. "I kind of lost control a bit and let Caleb see my wolf. I've been feeling on edge and anxious and they just didn't seem to be doing anything," I told them truthfully. Nick looked over at Antonio who spoke now.

"No problem, Noah. We'll tell Jeremy and we'll figure out what to give you," he said. I nodded. Well, he wasn't angry so that was something for sure. I was worried they might think I wasn't trying hard enough, but honestly there was nothing I could so if it was the medicine working against me.

"I'm proud of you, Noah," Nick said and set a hand on my shoulder, still turned around in his seat. I grinned. It felt so good to have them believe in me and be proud of me. I hadn't screwed up too badly. Maybe I could do this. Be normal and be in the pack. Right, Noah. You just wait. You'll screw up eventually. Simon's voice again. I mentally sighed. Maybe he was right.


	8. Ch 8 Frustrated

I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.

This is a collaborative project by **SheWolf13** and **SuperNatural1985**. The story is based on what we have read about Noah, in _Frostbitten_ and _Hidden_, and is a second attempt at the original story _**About Noah**_ originally published on SuperNatural1985's profile.

Ch 8 Frustrated

I stared at the paper before me and growled. I felt like the little numbers and words were mocking me. Sighing, I took a deep breath and tried again, starting the exercise from the beginning. Still, I wasn't getting the answer the sheet told me I was supposed to be getting. I knew I was doing something wrong but I had no idea what it was. Growling against, I thrust the pen across the room and heard as it made contact with wall and clattered the floor.

Concentration had always been a problem for me, but it was easy to ignore when you rarely went to school. Now that I was determined to make the Pack proud and to build myself a better future I had no choice. I did want to go to school and the pills I was taking were supposed to help, but Jeremy still hadn't prescribed me anymore, so now I was stuck here trying to muddle my way through stupid geometry exercises that I were useless for everyday life.

"Noah," I heard from the doorway. I crossed my arms over my chest defensively and turned to watch him walk into my room, his gaze going over to the fallen pen in the corner. He frowned at it and then at me, coming over to me and looking down at my work. "Do you want me to help you?"

I said nothing and just stared down at the floor. He didn't understand. He didn't know what it was like to be me, to feel so worthless and knowing that you could screw up at any moment. He didn't know what it was like to have to pretend to be someone you weren't just so no one would look twice your way. He didn't know what it was like to be with my mother or my stepfather or all those other people I had to stay in the foster homes. He didn't have the guilt I had within me that came at me when I was least expecting, like in my dreams, giving me the worst nightmares one could possibly imagine. Nick, so perfect, rich and handsome, didn't need to worry about any of that.

"Noah?" Nick asked and I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I pulled away from him and kept my eyes on the hardwood floor, suddenly just wanting to get out of here. "Noah, talk to me, buddy. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said too quickly to sound convincing. I shifted slightly, making a point to not look at Nick.

"Come on," he said and felt as he kneeled beside me, laying a hand on my knee. "It's okay. Whatever you need to say just say it. Is it the pills?" I bit my lip to stop a retort and pulled my arms tighter across my chest. The pills. God, how I hated the pills in that moment. They were just another thing that made me different from the rest of the world and not in good way. "Noah, I…"

"Don't, just don't," I cried suddenly, jumping out of my chair and turning to face him with my fists clenched at my sides. I felt tears prickle at my eyes, but I had no idea if it was because of my frustration or something else entirely. "Just…just leave me alone," I growled and made to walk past him, but he grabbed onto my shoulder.

"Noah, calm down, tell me what's wrong," he said, but I just pulled away from him again and made for the door. I heard someone coming up the main stairs so I ran to the other end of the hallway, using the servant's stairs as they had called it and might have been used in the previous century.

I managed to get through the back door undetected and as soon as fresh air hit my face I ran for the woods, ignoring the fact that I hadn't put shoes on. It had rained a little earlier today and the ground was still a bit wet so my white socks didn't stand a chance. I kept running, though, seeking the cover and freedom that the trees offered both me and my wolf.

Not far in, I stumbled upon a clearing that was mostly dry, so I sat down under a large oak tree and breathed, just breathed. Images of what I had just done and said rolled over my mind and I quickly forced them back. I didn't want to face that yet. I didn't want to think of the consequences of my actions.

Suddenly, I felt a tear fall down my cheek, followed closely by another and another until I was crying nonstop. I pulled my knees up and wrapped my arms around my legs, burying my head in them. I knew what was happening; it had happened a couple of times before with Dennis. I had kept all of my emotions and fears inside and hadn't given them any outlet whatsoever so now they were taking over, first with my outburst with Nick and now this.

I let myself breakdown, my sobs and whimpers the only that could be heard in the silence of the forest. Well, it was the only thing I could hear, at least. It was the only thing I focused on, so I didn't hear anyone coming towards me until it was too late.

A hand was suddenly laid on my shoulder and I jumped, hitting my head against the tree I was leaning on. Rubbing the back of my head and wiping away the tears, I looked up to see a blurry vision of Reese. He handed me a packet of tissues and I gladly accepted them, avoiding his gaze the whole while.

"Come on, squirt," he said and offered me his hand. I took it and he heaved me up. I glanced at him to see him watching me worriedly but he quickly dropped the worry when he saw me looking.

Without a word, he led me out of the forest and to the garage. I said nothing as he grabbed the keys from a perch on the wall and opened one of the many cars. He opened the door and gestured for me to get in. I hesitated, feeling as though I really shouldn't do this if I wanted to fix what I had wrecked, but then just got in. I needed to get away from here and breathe.

Silently, Reese started up the car and opened the garage door, throwing me a pair of Converse as we watched the garage door open. Someone must have heard the noise but no one stopped us, which made me think that they had told Reese to get me out of here. Fear suddenly invaded me. Was Reese getting me out of the house to take care of me? Had I failed so badly that they were getting rid of me and had asked Reese to do it?

I shook myself of these thoughts, knowing that Simon was behind them. His voice followed me wherever I went, no matter how far away from him I got. Reese was a good guy and someone I had started to trust. Besides, I had seen for myself that the Pack wasn't as harsh as my father had painted it, so far, at least. Dennis had told me good things, though, about how the Pack could help me and all, but when it came down to it all I could think about was what my father had told me.

The ride was silent except for the sound of the motor and that of the road. The forest passed in a blur beside us, eventually giving way to buildings and houses. The town that rested near Sorrentino Estate was about thirty minutes away, but Reese drove so fast that we made it in half that. He still said nothing as we reached the town centre, not even when he parked the car and got out, leaving me to follow behind.

"Reese, where are we going?" I asked, wondering why Reese had brought me here, though I was thankful that he hadn't taken me to the deepest, darkest part of the forest. That would have been very bad.

"Somewhere where we can eat," he said simply, just walking a couple of stores down before we reached an Italian restaurant that Reese said was the Sorrentinos' favourite. I nodded and followed him in, taking up seats in a corner. The place was half full and I knew it would start to get even fuller as dinner time neared.

"So, what do you want to eat?" he asked, picking up the menu. I hesitated, confused by his calm air and relaxed posture. Wasn't he angry at me for the way I had spoken to Nick? Or, at least, a little ticked off? "Noah?" he said, arching his eyebrow as he looked over his menu at me.

"Um," I said and quickly picked up my own menu, choosing the first thing my eyes feel on. "Pizza."

"How many?" he asked, setting down his menu and raised his hand to call over the waitress. When I didn't answer him, he turned to me and said, "You're a werewolf, Noah. You need more than just one pizza. Not even two will be enough. Eat what you need, buddy, not what is socially acceptable."

"Okay," I said, looking back down at the menu, just realizing how my insides were churning with hunger. I doubled my order and added a large plate of pasta to go with it. I would get two rounds of dessert if I could as well. I still wasn't sure why Reese was being so nice to me after what I had done or why he wasn't pushing me to talk like Nick, but the breather was more than welcome and I would take advantage of it for as long as I could. It felt good to not feel the pressure of being afraid to fail at everything I did.

"Hi, I'm Laura and I'll be your waitress for tonight," said the waitress, a tall, good-looking brunette with eyes only for Reese who barely even looked at her as he told her our order. By the time Reese had finished I was sure they would need a mop to clean up the mess she was making. I couldn't blame her really. Reese had everything I didn't. Muscle, the looks, attitude, height, especially height, and confidence, a lot of confidence.

"That's all, thanks," Reese said, handing the menu to the waitress. She took about a minute to realize that Reese was giving her something and when she did, she flushed furiously and practically ran away from us.

"She's cute," I pointed out. Reese shrugged and played with his fork, leaving me to ponder this. Was he gay? He didn't look like it. I wanted to ask about it, but since he wasn't pressuring me to talk, I wouldn't pressure him. I didn't need to, apparently.

"Not interested," he said simply, looking down at the table instead of me.

"Why?" I asked before I could stop myself. Great, Noah, just great. Why can't you just leave it alone?

"Long story," he said softly as I berated myself, but he didn't elaborate. Now I knew I had to leave it alone. The sadness in his voice was undeniable. Maybe one day I would know that long story and maybe know what had brought him to the States in the first place, but not yet. We didn't have enough confidence for that, but I hoped we would, one day.

The waitress brought our drinks then, a coke for me and a beer for Reese. Again, Reese didn't look at the poor girl as she poured our drinks and gazed at Reese expectantly. I leaned back against my chair and hide my discomfort as much as possible. I wonder what it would be like to be Reese and have girls chasing after you even in a restaurant. I wasn't like him at all. I didn't have the looks or the muscle. Plus, I was small and I looked much younger than seventeen. Girls never went for me. They always went to the guys like Reese and Nick.

"Do, uh, do Nick and Antonio know we're here?" I asked. They probably did, but I needed to check just in case. I trusted Reese, but not that much, not yet.

"Yeah," he said, looking up and blinking as if I had pulled him out of his thoughts. "I told them I would get you out of the house for a bit, so you could calm down and get some air."

"Um, thanks," I said, blushing slightly and looking down at the table. Was this what having a brother felt like? Having someone to cover your back and take care of you when you just couldn't handle your parents? I frowned at the table when I realized that I had just called Antonio and Nick my parents, but Reese quickly brought me back down to Earth.

"If you want to talk about it, I'm all ears, buddy, but I won't force you to if you don't want to," he said, taking a sip of his beer and making a face. "God, Americans just don't know how to make beer," he sighed and took another larger sip.

I bit my lip and tapped my fingers nervously on the table. Maybe I should talk about it and get his opinion. I trusted Nick and I knew I would need to talk to him later and that I owed him an explanation, but Nick was my mentor and slowly turning into the father figure that had been absent for almost my entire life. Reese was a Pack brother and he had already proved that he would look out for me. Would he laugh about my insecurities, though? I decided to take a chance.

"I just…I guess too many things have changed in such a short space of time and I'm still…adjusting," I said softly, not looking at him. "I just don't want to disappoint them. I don't want them to think I'm stupid or that I can't be in the Pack. I got so frustrated before because of that stupid exercise and just exploded. The pills aren't helping." I sighed, knowing that now that I had started I wouldn't be able to stop. "I guess I also feel guilty and it's not going away. Dennis shouldn't have—"

"Stop right there," Reese growled suddenly. My head shot up and my body stiffened at the menace in his voice. I looked up into his eyes and saw the wolf in them. "I know what happened, Noah, and it's not your fault. Those mutts…," he trailed off and I saw him clench his hand, the one with the missing fingers. "There was nothing you could do to stop them. They would have killed you."

"But I led them to him," I protested.

"Without realizing it. They would have found him eventually, Noah, with or without you. If they hadn't found him with you and you were with Dennis when they found him or alone on the street, you might not have been spared." I bit my lip and said nothing, mulling over Reese's words. The guilt had been in the back of my mind ever since I watched Dennis be tortured and killed. I had pushed it aside to deal with the mutts, but now with the Pack I felt it coming back tenfold, especially at night, sometimes reliving that day all over again.

"You have nothing to feel guilty about," Reese added, talking more to the table than to me then. I nodded absentmindedly, still thinking. No one in the Pack had said a word about my involvement in Dennis' death, so why did I feel so guilty?

"I just…miss him," I murmured, looking down at the table. Suddenly, I heard his chair move back and the next second he was by my side, kneeling on the floor.

"Come here," he said and I suddenly felt him pull me to him in a hug. I hesitated, both surprised by the embrace itself and very conscious of the fact that there were people around us, but Reese didn't seem to care, so I returned the hug, feeling hot tears run down my cheeks. Pack binds allowed us to have this closeness, even if it wasn't considered normal in modern society.

Ever since I met Dennis and found out about my true heritage he had always been there, always. He had stood by me when my father pushed me away. He was always helping with whatever I needed, like school work, especially school work. Math was beyond hard for me and Dennis had sat beside me for hours on end to do just two exercises or even just one. He had always been patient with me and had always cared about me. I missed him so damned much.

"It's okay," Reese whispered when I sobbed loudly, rubbing my back gently. I knew he must have been at a loss as to what to say to me, but that he was here right now with me meant so much. I had never had someone—besides Dennis—that would stand beside me with my problems. Reese was a really good brother it seemed.

I pulled away from him and rubbed my eyes, glancing around to see if anyone was watching. A few people were, but I didn't care. I would later, though.

"You want to leave?" Reese asked as he got back up, keeping a hand on my shoulder. I shook my head. He watched me for moment and then slowly went to sit back down, his eyes still watching me. I blushed and looked away from him, suddenly feeling embarrassed about my breakdown.

"Sorry," I said quickly, biting my lip nervously and rubbing my eyes to wipe away the last few tears. God, I must have looked like an idiot. What would Reese think of me now? The guy looked like he had never shed a tear in his life.

"Don't be," he said with a wave of his hand. "I'm surprised you lasted this long with breaking down, mate. After everything you've been through and everything that's changing in your life, it's normal, kid." I stared at him for a moment and then nodded, smiling slightly. In that moment, I knew that I would always be able to count on Reese. He was telling the truth, I had needed to break down after everything that had happened, but best of all was that he understood and accepted.

"Thanks," I said softly, taking a sip of my coke. Reese gave me a look and shook his head, telling me that I didn't need to thank him and that was what Pack brothers were for. I grinned at that. It felt good to have a Pack brother. I just hoped I hadn't screwed up that badly to be kicked out.

"They'll forgive you," Reese said when he saw me crestfallen face. "Just apologize and explain to them what you told me, okay?" Before I could answer him the waitress came with our food, once again ogling at Reese. This time didn't make me feel any better than the last. I honestly just felt like another piece of furniture or something for all the attention she gave me.

We ate in silence as the werewolf custom dictated. I had learned it from Dennis and now did the same with the Pack. Reese was right, of course, two pizzas just weren't enough, and after two rounds of dessert I was still a little hungry, but that's just a werewolf for you, I suppose. Reese said that we would grab take out on our way out of town so Antonio and Nick could eat as well. Even if they had already had dinner, they would eat what we took home. Again, that's just a werewolf appetite.

When the check came Reese paid using his credit card that the Sorrentinos had given him. I still hadn't used mine. They had already given me so much and I wasn't paying them back in any way, or so Nick had said, and I wasn't exactly making my living with them easy, so maybe I could get a job or something to pay for the things I wanted.

Laura the waitress almost had a heart attack when Reese handed her her tip and practically ran away again, going to hide into the kitchen. Again, Reese didn't seem to notice, or maybe he just pretended to not see or notice. I didn't understand why he would do that, though. The girl was cute and if she had been drooling over me, well, I'm not sure what I would have done. Probably the same as Reese, but that was because I was too shy to say a word to a girl that was as hot as Laura.

"Hi," I suddenly heard from behind me just as Reese and I were about to make our way out. I turned around to face a waitress I had seen looking over at our table before. She had dark long hair and was thankfully the same height as me, so for once I wasn't looking up to someone. The girl smiled at me and didn't look to be any older than I was.

"I'm Lexi," she smiled, offering me her hand. "We go to school together. You're Noah, right? Noah Sorrentino?" I glanced at Reese who seemed very interested in today's menu. I looked back at Lexi and tried to smile, taking her hand and shaking it, wondering if she felt it as sweaty as I did.

"I heard what you did for Rory," she said, looking impressed. I blushed and said that it wasn't a big deal, but she just shook her head, still smiling at me. "It is a big deal. Caleb and his gang are idiots. I'm glad someone had the guts to stand up to them." My blush deepened, my ability to speak suddenly leaving me. I was saved, though, when she was called to the kitchen. She said that she would be there in a minute and then turned back to me, her perpetual smile on her beautiful, warm and full looking lips.

"Um, I'll see you at school," she said and then turned, leaving me standing there like an idiot as I stared after her.

"Come on, mate. You did good," Reese said behind me as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and led me out. "Breathe, Noah," he chuckled when we got to the car. I nodded and took a deep breath, sliding into the car. What had just happened? How had I not seen her at school? Well, I had been a nervous wreck and been focused on other things, like not screwing up, to notice anything.

"She's cute," Reese said, repeating my earlier words. I heard the smile in his voice and I looked at him to see it on his face. I looked away and muttered something indecipherable under my breath. Lexi was too cute to be true. I mean, why the hell would she choose me over Reese when he was standing like four feet away? Maybe he looked a lot older than me? Then again, even Lexi looked older than me, but that hadn't stopped her from coming to me and not to Reese.

"You going to ask her out?" Reese asked, grinning at the windshield. I sighed and shook my head, looking out of my own window to see that we were pulling up at a drive through of some fast food store. "Why?" I just shrugged and Reese sighed. "Come on, mate. We've already seen what happens when you bottle things up. Talk to me."

True, but I was so embarrassed. Then again, he hadn't judged me for my tears and he was my Pack brother. "I just…um…I don't have a lot of…uh…experience with…um…," I trailed off, flushing fiercely again. It seemed like everything was embarrassing today and it was starting to get frustrating, but I just couldn't help my, um, inexperience.

"Oh," Reese said and I saw him frown at the car in front of us. "Well, we can fix that," he grinned and winked at me as we pulled up to the window. I tensed at the thought of him helping me with Lexi, but I forced myself to relax. If Lexi really was interested in me, then I would need all the help I could get. Nick seemed more like the go to guy for women, but I didn't trust him as much as I trusted Reese in that moment, or maybe I just didn't have the guts to go to him with this.

The ride back home was almost as silent as the one to town, but this time we had some music in the background which didn't really help to calm my nerves. Reese told me to relax, that everything would be fine, but I couldn't help the butterflies that were swarming within me. What if Nick now, after having seen my outburst, realized that he couldn't handle me, that he didn't want to take care of me or take me under his wing?

You're worthless, Noah, of course they won't want you. They never did. Not even your mother wanted you. Simon's voice reverberated through my head and I tried to mentally shake him away, but there was no getting rid of him. He taunted me and brought me even further down as we made our way home, and none of Reese's encouragements seemed to get me back on track.

The house was silent when we went inside, but Reese, who knew how to use his nose better than I did since he was older, was able to follow Nick's most recent scent to his study. He knocked and waited for Nick to answer before entering.

"Hey, Nick, I think Noah wanted to speak to you," he said and gestured for me to go in. I swallowed and strode in to find Nick in an armchair near the unlit fireplace with a glass of whiskey in hand. The door closed behind me and I had to clench my hands to stop them from shaking.

"Come here, bud," Nick said, patting the armchair beside his. He didn't sound angry at all which perplexed me as it always did. I had been getting used to it, but there was no hiding the fact that I hadn't been accustomed to it before coming to the Pack. I had been used to screwing up and getting chewed out for it moments later. My mother was normally the one doing the chewing, unless she was in a hurry in which case she didn't waste her valuable time and energy on me.

I sat down and clasped my hands over my lap to hide my nervousness, but Nick wasn't my mother. He had the nose of a wolf and could smell my anxiety.

"Relax, Noah, I'm not angry, I promise," he said gently, setting the empty glass on the small table beside him. "I just want to know what's wrong, buddy. What happened?" I wished that Reese was there with me so I could lean on him for support, but I knew I needed to do this alone, so I started talking and told Nick everything I had told Reese.

"I know that doesn't justify the way I talked to you. You had nothing to do with it and it wasn't right to explode on you like that. I'm so sorry," I finished, looking down at my hands. I waited tensely for Nick to say something. He was silent for a moment and I held my breath for the whole while until he spoke.

"Noah," he sighed, "come here." I got up and went to him, falling into his arms as my wolf said I should. He was the one that was supposed to be protecting me and caring for me. He had said that he wanted me here and that I was practically his son now. I needed to stop thinking that the world was going to fall apart every time I screwed up. Nick's hug told me that, just like Reese, he was here for me.

"It's okay, kiddo, just talk to me next time, okay?" he said and pulled back, holding onto me by the shoulders and brushing my hair out of my face. "You're not guilty of anything, understand?" he asked firmly, looking at me with the wolf in his eyes.

"I understand. Now." Nick nodded and stood, rubbing my shoulders as he glanced at Antonio who had come in while I had been talking, but I had tried to ignore him. He was one wolf I would really rather not have pissed at me and I was kind of afraid of him, I think. I didn't see the look that passed between them, but Nick sighed after a moment and pulled his hands back, brushing a hand through his hair as if suddenly uncomfortable.

"I understand that you were frustrated today and that you just needed to breakdown, but we don't allow talking back and shouting in our home, Noah. Next time you will be grounded, understood?" Nick said in a firm tone I had rarely heard him use. I nodded and then remembered I had to be verbal.

Nick smiled then and put an arm around my shoulder and turned me towards the door. Antonio stood then, towering over me. I opened my mouth to apologize for shouting in his home, but he put up a hand to stop me. "Apology accepted," he said as I grin lit up his face. I let out a soft sigh in relief and let Nick lead me towards the door.

"We should go find Reese before he eats all the food," Nick grinned. I nodded and smiled back at him. The Sorrentinos were amazing people. I really needed to stop judging them so badly, but, at least, today I could say that for once I felt like I could actually belong here.


	9. Ch 9 Trust

I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.

**_Sorry for the hiatus of this story. We want to thank all Noah's fans for being patient. Expect much more from this fic in 2013 =)_**

This is a collaborative project by **SheWolf13** and **SuperNatural1985**. The story is based on what we have read about Noah, in _Frostbitten_ and _Hidden_, and is a second attempt at the original story _**About Noah**_ originally published on SuperNatural1985's profile.

Ch 9 Trust

I bit my lip nervously and watched Reese and Nick pull on their coats and pick up their bags. Nick was going to a series of meetings in Colorado and Reese was accompanying him. I wanted to go with them but I had school. The only problem now was that I was stuck alone with Antonio. The man had never been mean to me, but I had spent most of my time with Nick or Reese. Antonio had been around of course, but he had been busy with work and, according to a conversation I had heard between Reese and Nick, the man was stepping aside to let Nick be the main mentor for both Reese and I.

"Be safe," Antonio smiled and hugged Nick before ruffling Reese's hair. Nick nodded and smiled at me, telling me to do my homework as Reese thumped me on the arm with a grin. I smiled, more nervous than anything, and watched them go. I had never been alone with Antonio before and I was definitely worried about it all.

Antonio turned to me then and smiled, he receiving a shy smile back from me but that was all I could manage. I was sure Antonio felt the nervousness coming from me and I had overheard Nick and him speaking once about how the big scary wolf didn't want me to be scared of him, but I was. Antonio may have cultivated the look to scare mutts, but it worked on me as well. I rubbed my sweaty hands on my pants and looked towards him now but didn't meet his eyes. "Um, I've got homework," I murmured and Tonio nodded but cleared his throat to stop me before I could leave.

"I was thinking, Noah, that we could get some take out and maybe go out for a movie or something," the older man said. I stopped and looked at the man with a scarlet blush lighting my cheeks. Finally I jerked my head in an affirmative nod and then turned to race up the stairs. I breathed a sigh of relief once I got upstairs and slowed down a bit. I knew Antonio meant well, but I had no idea why he would want to spend time with me. I figured he had no choice but to stay home since everyone else was going so someone had to watch the delinquent.

I shut the door to my room and breathed a sigh of relief. Nervousness tickled my stomach and made me feel a bit sick. Maybe I could barricade myself in my room all weekend. I shook my head with a sigh at that one. Nick was always telling me that the problem would not go away if I ignored it. I knew for a fact that Antonio would leave me alone if I asked the man, but then it would just make everything tenser between us. No, I had to make myself do this. Plus, I wasn't sure how long I really could avoid the man.

With a sigh I walked to my desk and picked up my buzzing cell phone. Two missed messages from Lexi which made me smile and filled my stomach with butterflies. Quickly I picked up the phone, reading her words which always gave me a full watt smile. Since we had met at the restaurant we had become friends at school, my first real friend here, and we texted a lot. I was also friends with Rory, the guy I helped on my first day of school too, but I didn't feel like this around the other boy. With Lexi I felt like I could float. I wasn't exactly comfortable with hanging out with her friends, but I liked her a lot so I tried to get along with her friends as well. For Lexi's sake. I read the messages from Lexi and my heart almost stopped. She was asking me to hang out. I grinned like a maniac and texted back that I would love to, but then I remembered Antonio. I guessed we were supposed to hang out tonight, but I really wanted to be with Lexi. In truth I would always want to be with her I felt.

I stood there debating for a moment before I made my decision. With a nod I shoved my phone in my pocket and headed for the door and downstairs. I slowed as I approached Antonio's study door and stood there for a moment before knocking. The man called for me to come in and then held up a hand when I walked inside as he spoke on the phone. I, being the younger werewolf as hierarchy dictated, accepted this and sat in the chair in front of Tonio, spinning around for a bit. Finally the older werewolf cleared his throat and I stopped, looking over at him now. "Noah, you did your homework quickly," Antonio said with a raised eyebrow.

"I didn't, um, I didn't get to it yet. Lexi, a girl at school, called and wants to know if I can hang out with her. I'll get my homework done, but is it ok if we hang out tomorrow instead?" I asked, holding my breath and waiting for the answer. Tonio looked at me and chuckled now, shaking his head. I hoped I hadn't pissed him off, but this opportunity was rare for me and I wouldn't give it up easily.

"You remind me of Nicky, Noah. Always out with the girls and pushing his homework off until Sunday. Tell you what, you do at least some of the homework, maybe an hour, and then you can go with Lexi and we can indeed spend time together another night," he suggested. I nodded then with a big grin. Nick always said his dad was nothing if not fair and I definitely saw this now. With a thanks I jumped up and ran from the room, taking out my phone to call Lexi and tell her the plan. I didn't exactly agree with Antonio, that I was just like Nick and chasing girls, but the analogy made me feel better anyway.

I hung up with Lexi as soon as I could, not that I wanted to, and got started on the easier part of my homework. I'd work on the harder stuff, maybe with Antonio—scary thought—later this weekend, but for now I didn't want anyone to ruin my good mood. Finally I set my social studies and half of my history homework aside and stood with a grin. Lexi was the first girl I had liked since coming here. There had been girls in Alaska, but not many girls were interested in a juvenile delinquent who looked like he was fifteen and not seventeen, but from what I could tell, and what Nick and Reese said, Lexi liked me and I was all for it.

I got up and took a quick shower, redressing, and was just drying my hair when my phone vibrated again. Getting a message from Lexi made my heart flutter and my stomach feel as if it would erupt with butterflies. I pulled the towel away from my head and threw it on the floor to pick up my phone and unlock it. I looked at the latest message, once I glanced at the screen, and my heart sank. Lexi's friends had called and gotten last minute tickets for a local concert but not enough for me to go. Lexi of course apologized and said she would stay behind to hang out with me, but I told her to go. I didn't want her to resent me or her friends either, even if it made me feel like shit. With a sigh I read the last message where Lexi promised me she would make it up to me, but I didn't reply. Instead I flopped back onto the bed and let the brewing bad mood take over.

I flung my phone to the end of the bed where it landed on the edge and then dropped over the end where I heard it thump onto the floor. I couldn't care less about it and instead I grabbed my PSP to get out some of my anger through killing bad guys. I didn't hear Antonio knock on the door or enter and only noticed his presence when the man took the PSP from me and turned it off. "Hey," I growled and looked up with a glare, but immediately looked away flushing when I remembered it was Antonio and that this was my new life where respect was paramount.

"Hey?" Antonio asked with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms. I murmured an apology but didn't look at him, and finally Tonio cleared his throat and I had to look up. I know I looked angry and upset but I didn't care. "I came up to give you a drive to your friend's, but I thought you were doing your homework, kiddo, what happened?" he asked gently now. I sighed and looked at the covers, crossing my own arms defensively.

"She cancelled," I explained in a pissed off tone. Finally, when Antonio said nothing for a moment, I got up with a growl and sat down at my desk, ignoring the man and opening my history book again, hard. In the blink of an eye Antonio was walking across the room, but we both froze when we heard a crunch. I looked down to see my phone on the floor had been smashed and Antonio looked none too happy about it. I didn't blame him as he had bought it, or Nick I guess, but I really couldn't give a damn. I was too pissed off and not thinking clearly.

"What is this doing on the floor?" he asked, bending down to pick it up. The screen had been cracked and it was virtually unusable. As I looked at it, with a glare, the screen blinked out totally, making it even more useless. I shrugged and turned to my book again, wishing Nick was home. Nick would understand and so would Reese. How could this man, more than forty years my senior, understand me?

"It fell off, ok? I really don't want to talk about it. I just want to be left alone," I growled, speaking to the man in a tone I had never dared use before, but I was more than pissed off right then and I didn't feel like dealing with this or trying to figure out this man right now. I immediately felt my skin stretch and felt anxious along with everything else. I looked down to see what looked like black snakes crawling under my skin. I growled and tried to make it stop, but I was too angry. This was the last thing I needed but I could do nothing about it.

Finally I felt Antonio's hand on my arm, pulling me from my thoughts, and he pulled me up and forced me towards my bedroom door. I growled under my breath but didn't fight the man who I knew I would never beat anyway. Quickly enough we were out of the house and standing in the woods. I shivered as Antonio started to undress and ordered me to do the same, but I only stood there looking dumbfounded and feeling angrier by the second. "Get undressed and change, Noah. You're too emotional and you're going to change by accident if you don't now. So get undressed," the man commanded. I felt Antonio watching me until I finally started to unzip my coat and undress like the man had ordered. This was the last thing I wanted to do right then, but there was no getting out of it I feared.

I watched as Antonio put his clothes on the branches of the tree so they wouldn't get wet and I did the same, watching the man get down on all fours and concentrate. Antonio was not simply scary because he was older, but because he looked like a powerhouse of rippling muscle that I could never hope to have. I was skinny, much too skinny, with no muscle and, at least from my point of view, no hope of gaining any. I was also short. My 5'8 stature didn't cut it when compared to everyone else, even Elena was taller than me, everyone was but Antonio, but he had mounds of muscle so that didn't matter. If I had mounds of muscle I am sure it wouldn't matter either.

Finally I dropped down, behind a bush I had chosen, and tried to change. From the sounds of Antonio's bush he had almost completed his, but I wasn't even close. I'd only been changing for a few months so it still didn't come easy for me, but I was finally able to make my body conform and change. My scream turned into a howl as I felt my body contort and change. My limbs grew smaller and my fingers shrunk, but at that point I closed my eyes and didn't want to see anymore. I knew that changing made me look contorted and inhuman and I wasn't particularly keen on seeing myself look like a monster.

Finally, I lay on the ground with a whine, breathing hard. I always felt so tired and at this point I wanted to sleep, but I'd only be allowed a few moments rest before I had to get up and follow whichever older werewolf was waiting. Finally I struggled to my feet, testing my new senses at the same time. I sniffed to find a new smell and looked around to see how far I could see. Through the trees I saw the house distorted and odd shaped, but I knew that was just my wolf vision. Hearing a curious grunt outside, I stuck my head out and looked at a large brown wolf with soft brown eyes and head cocked to the side gazing at me curiously.

Antonio gave a chuff when he saw me and stood on all fours, stretching and getting ready for a run. Suddenly the older wolf rushed me and I was pushed to the ground as the older wolf bit lightly into my neck fur to establish his dominance. I stayed still but quickly jumped up when Antonio let go and rushed the wolf that jumped out of the way and chuffed a wolf like laugh. I instead lunged headfirst into a snow bank and whined as I awkwardly tried to back out and shake the snow off of myself. I could feel Antonio watching my awkward struggle and finally I heard his paws on the snowy floor heading away from me.

I pawed my muzzle to clear the snow from my eyes and nose before I took off after my guardian and mentor. I hated the process to get to wolf form, but I loved being a wolf. I could forget about everything in my life and just be what I wanted. I never felt so free and alive and never so good. All of it went away: Dennis' death, Joseph's abandonment, foster care, my mother and juvenile detention, Lexi and my problems with homework. Nothing really mattered except running and the pack. The forest was my world and was all mine. Quickly I caught up with Antonio and tried to jump the wolf, but the older werewolf heard me and turned at the last second to side swipe me into another snow bank.

I whined and pulled out, going after Antonio again and chasing him around the forest for the rest of the evening. Finally the older wolf stopped and howled, bringing me up short. I cocked my head and watched the other wolf. Waiting for instructions. Antonio growled and awkwardly nodded his head to the nearby forest, sniffing. I let my instincts take over and then sniffed as well, smelling rabbit. I knew that both of us could not take down a deer on our own so we would need to stick with smaller game. Hunting was not a game to us. We both knew that we could get speared by an antler and killed in this form so we were always very careful.

I watched as Antonio shot off into the forest and then followed, quickly finding him again in a nearby clearing with a bloody rabbit in his mouth. Across the field the other rabbits had scattered and I saw Antonio quickly set his kill down and then turn, going after another one. I dashed across the field and stopped at the first dead rabbit to sniff it but I didn't touch it. It wasn't my kill. Instinctively I knew this and I knew the hierarchy that ruled here. If I took another wolf's kill, I would be disrupting the hierarchy and telling the other wolf I was better than him. This would cause a huge fight between me and the other wolf and that was a fight I knew I would not win. Even if Antonio didn't want to fight me, I still didn't chance it.

I waited there flat on my stomach with my head on my paws. I watched as Antonio trotted towards me with a second kill and set that one down as well. The older wolf cocked his head and looked at me before he walked forward and pushed the first rabbit toward me with his nose. I sniffed it and looked up at Antonio for instructions. The wolf snorted and nodded towards the rabbit before turning to the other one he had caught and dug in. Looking around, I noticed he had killed a few more rabbits and far more quickly than even I realized. As I watched Antonio eat, I realized how hungry I was and instinct led me to dig in and fill my stomach. At least I didn't have to wonder why the older wolf brought me food. I was the youngest, smallest and weakest of the changed pack members and therefore the others took care of me. Someday, the human side of me vowed, I would be the one taking care of the others.

With a full stomach and a heavy head, I followed Antonio from the clearing to a nearby one where I lay down instantly and was asleep almost before I felt Antonio lay down beside me and curl protectively around me. This was my place and I went to sleep knowing it was right. I dreamed of running and the pack and catching deer. I dreamt of fullness and never transforming into a human again. Maybe I would do what I knew Morgan did and never change back again. Who would stop me really? The simple answer was the pack, but I ignored that and felt better dreaming my dreams for now.

I awoke feeling warm and protected. I let myself lay there ignoring the birds in the tree around me and the rabbits and squirrels running through the forest. I even ignored the over powering scent of a nearby deer which made my stomach rumble. Just five more minutes, I thought before I realized my room should not have birds in it and deer was not a proper breakfast food for a teenager. With a gasp I shot up and looked around, seeing the bright forest and squinting at the sun glinting off of the white snow. Behind me I heard a yawn and heard Antonio stir. In a second I was up and looking back at Antonio, all of Antonio. The muscles and what I didn't want to notice, his huge package. I had heard Reese and Nick joke about werewolves always being huge but here I had proof. Another area I was behind in.

Embarrassed, my wide eyes met Antonio's sleepy and happy ones and instantly I turned and took off. I ignored Antonio calling my name behind me and bolted for the tree where I knew my cold clothes hung from. Quickly I threw them on and then ran for the house, pounding in the key code as fast as possible and dashing inside. I could still hear the older werewolf behind me, but I continued into the house and up the stairs to my room. As quickly as I had dressed, I undressed again and locked myself in my bathroom, taking a very long and hot shower. How could I face Antonio now? Not only was I so scrawny with nothing to show in the most important area of a guy's body, but I had run away from him like a little kid. This had to be the worst weekend I had had since coming here. I desperately wished Nick and Reese were here. I could face them, but how could I face Antonio Sorrentino? This man was a God in the pack. He was the oldest member and the Alpha's best friend. He used to be the enforcer. I was so embarrassed right then I wished I could shower forever.

Finally I got out of the shower to face my problems. It was either do this or face the scariest man I had known since the European wolves, looking like a prune or ET. Slowly I got dressed and wondered if I was strong enough to let my stomach eat itself before I finally left my room. The smell of bacon, ham and pancakes hit my nose instantly and I gravitated towards the food even as dread filled me. Slowly, but faster than I would have liked, I walked down the hallway and the stairs and into the kitchen. I stepped in as quietly as possible, but the older man still heard me and turned with a huge grin. I had come to think of it as the Sorrentino grin because Nick was a master at it as well. I coloured and looked away, bringing my right hand up to grip my left arm and feeling extremely stupid.

"Coffee is made and there is plenty of food, pile up," Antonio chuckled. I nodded and moved forward to grab coffee and food without making eye contact with the man. I could feel Antonio watching me but still I didn't look up. Silently I mixed my coffee, a double double, and sat down at the island counter to eat. I kept my eyes on my plate as I heard the older werewolf get his food and sit down beside me.

"Thanks, it's good," I said lowly. I heard Antonio chuckle then, but he didn't comment for a few moments, and when he did, I was surprised at his words.

"First of all, kid, you need to start observing the number one rule in this house and with the pack. You need to speak up and you need to be quick around here or you might get left out. Second of all, I want to tell you a story," he said. I looked over at him now confused. "When Nicky was sixteen he started changing. He was tall, but even though he had started working out with Clay and me, he hadn't gotten any muscles yet. He was scrawny and so embarrassed about it all, especially when he wrongly compared himself to us. In a few months his new metabolism started to work wonders on his body and that combined with hard work eventually earned him the muscles he wanted and the growth in other areas. These things come with time, Noah, you just need to be patient," Antonio advised and set a hand on my shoulder kindly. "You should also know that you have nothing to worry about in that area, you're definitely not small, Noah, not even close," he finished.

I pulled back surprised, and with the usual blush, and Antonio quickly went back to his food. I wondered why he was telling me this and why he was even trying to make me feel better. Why did he care so much? Quickly I felt the usual anger fill my body and I let it take over. "The difference is Nick had every single fucking advantage, and even if he was scrawny, he was still good looking and had everything a girl could want. He was still getting all the girls and everything he ever wanted," I growled back at the man. I could feel Antonio watching me as I got up and practically threw my dishes in the sink. I winced when I heard the plate crack now but I ignored it. I was still not used to my extra strength. It always over took me and surprised me.

"Admit it, he was perfect and you're just telling me this to make me feel better. No girl ever dumped him and nothing ever went wrong for him," I hissed angrily. I watched angrily as Antonio watched me and crossed his arms. I could tell he was thinking about how to handle my outburst. I knew I had a right to my anger, everyone said so, but I also knew that speaking like this was unacceptable. I suddenly wondered if Antonio wished that Nick were here to deal with me. I was Nick's responsibility after all and not this man's. I could tell I would not be lucky enough, though, to just be sent to my room and wait for Nick. This very scary werewolf would not let me get away with anything.

"I am not just telling you this to make you feel better, Noah. It is the truth. Nick had a hard time just like everyone else and he didn't have everything, Noah. No one has everything. I do hope we have been able to give you most of the things you have lacked in your previous life. If not, just tell me. I'll make it better for you," Tonio said, using his calming dad voice. I just stared at him for a moment before I could feel my face turn storm cloudy. I felt the rage rushing through me and the sudden anger I sometimes felt about my very unfair life. Antonio was saying I was the same as everyone else. Yeah, right. What did he know anyway?

"Whatever!" I growled and started to walk out of the kitchen. I just wanted to be left alone to brood and maybe kick some bad guy asses. Lexi and everyone else could go fly off a cliff for all I cared honestly. I was in the middle of my next angry thought when I felt someone grab my arm and easily swing me around. Suddenly I was looking up into Antonio's angry eyes and a growl came unbidden from me. Antonio's growl was louder and it made me look away and submit immediately. Dread now replaced the anger and I suddenly went over what I said in my mind. How the hell could I be so stupid? Nick would have killed me for speaking to him like that, I was sure. What did I think I was doing?

"We are going to get something straight right now, Noah Joseph Stillwell Sorrentino. You will never talk to your elders like that again. We respect you and deserve respect in return. You can be angry if you want, God only knows you have the right to be, but you're not going to take it out on the people who are trying to help you. I know you had a crappy life, kid, and I'm sorry for that, but it's time you took matter into your own hands. Only you can make you happy. I can give you every God damned thing in the world, but it won't make you happy until you decide to be. I'm not saying you need to be, but as bad as your past was, there is nothing any one of us can do. We can help you learn from it and be the best werewolf you can be, Noah. Let us help you," Antonio said now, surprising the hell out of me.

My green eyed gaze slide back to Antonio's brown ones and I knew the older wolf saw puzzlement in my eyes now, but I felt I had good reason. Why was this man being so nice to me? Anyone else, well, in my old life, would have smacked me or called me any number of names or made me feel even stupider, but not the pack, not any one of them. They were beyond amazing with my outbursts and they seemed to understand. Finally I started to calm down and lost my tense posture as I set some trust in this man to help me.

"I'm sorry. I get frustrated and no one's ever been this nice to me. It's confusing," I finally admitted. Antonio nodded and let go of me now, putting an arm around my shoulders instead. This felt much better than just moments before when I was sure Antonio would kill me.

"I know and we're all just getting to know one another too. It will continue to be confusing for us all, I think. What we all need to remember is to respect one another and to trust one another to help. I know Nick is in charge of you, but I can help too. If there's something you can't go to Nick with, come to me. I do want you to know that you can trust Nicky with anything, though. He's changed since you and Reese showed up and he's got your best interest at heart. Now, why don't you go get your things and we'll go out for the day? Have some fun. What do you say?" the man grinned. I smiled as well and nodded. Maybe Antonio was not so scary after all. He was like an older version of Nick, I supposed. Antonio was a pack member who I needed to get to know and trust as well.

"Ok," I said and accepted a squeeze on my shoulder as he left, "Oh, and Antonio," I said when he got to the door and turned. "Thanks, for everything," I said and blushed. Antonio grinned now. "I'll pay for the plate," I added as well which made the older wolf chuckle now and nod his agreement.

"Yes, you will and for the new phone I need to get you as well. You'll also take whatever punishment Nick sees fit to give you when he comes home and you tell him about this and don't forget to include your attitude today and yesterday. Now go and get ready," Tonio said. I nodded and turned, feeling a bit of dread fill my stomach at the prospect of telling Nick, but I knew it had to be done so there wasn't anything for it.

When I got to my room I glanced at the cracked phone and sighed before I quickly sat down to check my emails. One from Lexi late last night made me smile as did the message inside. She wanted to hang out that day and go to a party that night. I contemplated it for a moment before I shook my head and sent off a quick email to say I was spending time with my family today. Just as I pressed send, Antonio hollered up the stairs for me and I shut my laptop and grabbed my coat.


End file.
